The 25-year-old Afghan man accused of killing a policeman in Germany was a failed asylum seeker who had been living in the country illegally for nine years, according to media reports.
Sulaiman Ataee injured six people at an anti-Islamism rally in the southern German city of Mannheim on Friday, May 31st, stabbing them with a knife. One of his victims was a 29-year-old policeman, Rouven L., who he stabbed several times in the head. The young officer underwent emergency surgery immediately after the attack and was placed in an induced coma but succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. The attacker was shot and wounded by police, who say his motives and the reason for his attack require further investigation.
The perpetrator arrived in Germany in 2013 and his asylum application was rejected a year later. However, he remained in the country illegally for another nine years. In 2023, he received a temporary residence permit after fathering a child who automatically gained German citizenship. Revealed by German media on Monday to be an admirer of an Islamist preacher whose propaganda videos he shared on YouTube, Ataee is described as having grown a full beard between 2020 and 2023—a sign of commitment to strong religiosity in Islamist circles.
“Rouven is the first police officer to be killed in an Islamist attack in Germany—and that is how it should now be classified. This is a turning point and should finally wake up the public. Police officers are on the front line when it comes to the catastrophic consequences of a migration and asylum policy that has been out of control for years,” writes Dieter Stein, editor-in-chief of German conservative publication Junge Freiheit. He criticised members of the government for not visiting the police officer’s deathbed—“a particularly disgraceful sign from politicians who are always protected around the clock by loyal police officers.”
Politicians, however, did condemn the attack and mourned the loss of the young police officer. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was deeply saddened by the death of the police officer who was “defending all of our right to voice our opinion.” He added: “If extremists want to restrict these rights by force, they must know that we are their toughest opponents.”
“Our security authorities have the Islamist scene firmly in their sights,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. German authorities have been on increased alert for Islamist terrorism since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7th.
Friday’s anti-Islamism rally, the site of the attack, was staged to counter recent Islamist protests where participants called for the creation of a caliphate. There has also been a surge in politically motivated violence in Germany ahead of the European elections on June 9th, with party politicians and activists from all sides of the political spectrum being attacked on the street.
Tensions were visible on Sunday again, when simultaneous protests were organised in Mannheim, two days after the tragic event. A cross-party organisation called for a human chain to be formed through much of the city centre against violence and hate. Meanwhile, the youth wing of the anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) held a demonstration under the motto “remigration would have prevented this crime.” Left-wing ‘antifascist’ activists also showed up, and police had to encircle them to prevent them from attacking the right-wing protesters.
AfD party leaders Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel said after the attack that immigration from Afghanistan must be stopped and deportations carried out. They called on the government to start negotiations with the Afghan government on the issue.
