Solingen attack: Suspect vanished before deportation to Bulgaria

According to the newspaper "Die Welt," Issa Al H., the suspect in the Solingen attack, was supposed to be deported from Germany to Bulgaria in 2023. "Although the deportation was already planned, it did not happen," reports the newspaper, indicating that "the man vanished into thin air."

On Friday in Solingen, there was a knife attack in the western region of Germany. As a result, three people were killed, and eight were seriously injured. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamic State on Saturday evening, stating that it was "revenge for Muslims in Palestine."

The man who was apprehended on Saturday evening was living in a refugee centre in Solingen. According to "Die Welt," he had not previously drawn the attention of German authorities. "H. had no prior criminal record and was never suspected of extremism," reports the newspaper.

The last registered place of residence of the man was Padeborn. In 2023, a decision was made to extradite him based on the Dublin Procedure to Bulgaria, where he crossed the EU border. According to these rules, the country responsible for the asylum procedure is the one where the asylum seeker first entered.

The man, however, according to "Die Welt," "vanished into thin air" and reappeared in Solingen several months later. During this time, the deportation decision expired, and authorities assigned him a place in the centre where he was apprehended.

The newspaper "Bild" describes the details of the arrest. According to the newspaper, while conducting their search, police found a bloody jacket belonging to the perpetrator in one of the trash bins near the site of the attack. Inside it were the man's documents. "Therefore, the police did not decide to publish the wanted person's image," reports Bild.

The actual arrest took place on Saturday evening. A counterterrorism unit stormed the centre where the 26-year-old Syrian was apprehended.