Germany announces tougher knife laws after deadly attack

BERLIN: German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Thursday the government would toughen knife controls and curb benefits for some illegal migrants in response to a suspected Islamist stabbing.

Three people were killed and eight others injured at a festival in the western city of Solingen on Friday, in an attack allegedly carried out by a 26-year-old Syrian man with links to the Islamic State group.

The knife attack has inflamed the debate over immigration in Germany and put pressure on the government to act ahead of key regional elections on Sunday.

The stabbing has “shocked us deeply”, Faeser said at a press conference on Thursday alongside Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.

The threats highlighted by the attack demanded a packet of “tough measures”, including tightening weapons controls and strengthening security services, Faeser said.

Carrying knives at festivals, like the one in Solingen, as well as “sports events and other similar public events” will be banned, Faeser said.

There will be reasoned exceptions to the ban, including for those working in hospitality and performers, she added.

Knives will also be banned on long-distance trains, the minister said, with police given more powers to search members of the public.