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Germany holds memorial for Aschaffenburg stabbing victims

Published January 26, 2025last updated January 26, 2025

Four days after a knife attack that left a man and a 2-year-old boy dead, the German city of Aschaffenburg came together for a memorial service.

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German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Bavarian state premier Markus Söder stand before wreaths in Aschaffenburg
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser attended the ceremony, as well as Bavarian state premier Markus SöderImage: Kai Pfaffenbach/REUTERS

The city of Aschaffenburg held a memorial service on Sunday for the victims of a knife attack in which two people were killed and three others were seriously injured.

An Afghan asylum seeker who was due to be deported was arrested after the Wednesday attack, triggering renewed debate about immigration ahead of Germany's national general election next month.

The attacker targeted a group of children in a park, killing a 2-year-old Moroccan boy and a 41-year-old German man who was trying to protect the youngsters.

He wounded three others, among them a Syrian girl aged two, who sustained neck wounds.

What we know about the service

The ecumenical service at Aschaffenburg's Stiftskirche church got underway on Sunday morning, with German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Bavarian state premier Markus Söder in attendance.

Catholic Bishop of Würzburg Franz Jung and the Protestant Bishop of Aschaffenburg, Christian Kopp, conducted the service.

Deadly knife attack in Aschaffenburg, Germany

"We are hurt by this brutal act." Jung said, while Kopp, spoke of "fear, questions, uncertainty, shock."

The mayor of the nearby city of Würzburg, Jürgen Herzing, was set to give a speech.

Before the service, Faeser and Söder laid wreaths at the site of the attack.

"It is unbelievable that a small child was killed, who was out and about in the morning on a fun day, who had thought about a lot of things, who had a whole life ahead of him," said Söder.

"We are reacting calmly and decisively. Political questions will certainly still be discussed, but today, today we empathize, today we mourn with them."

Islamic representatives were also involved in the ecumenical service.

What happened after the attack?

The 28-year-old Afghan suspect, who has been only partially named under German media guidelines as Enamullah O, had a history of mental health troubles, officials said.

According to German media, the man was believed to have had psychological issues and had received treatment several times.

He was transferred to a closed psychiatric institution the day after the attack.

In light of the incident, the conservative frontrunner to become chancellor after the February 23 election, Friedrich Merz, promised a "fundamental" overhaul of asylum rules and permanent border control.

Merz's CDU/CSU alliance currently leads in the polls with about 30% support while the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) is in second with 20%.

rc/nm (dpa, AFP)