A Libyan citizen is suspected of preparing an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin. He is allegedly a supporter of the Islamic State. Now it is known that he should have been deported a year ago.
The alleged supporter of the Islamic State, who was arrested in Bernau near Berlin, has been "obliged to leave the country" since September 2023 due to a rejected asylum request, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior said.
However, the central office for aliens in Brandenburg, responsible for decisions on forced return of aliens, was only notified of this in July 2024 by the district of Barnim in which Bernau is located.
A district spokesman could not immediately explain how the long period between determination and report occurred, but said it would be investigated.
Arrest in Bernau
On Saturday night (October 19th), an alleged supporter of the Islamic State terrorist organization was arrested on suspicion of planning a gun attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin. He is currently in custody.
According to information from the DPA agency, the suspect, who allegedly came to Europe with a tourist visa via Malta, did not file an appeal against the rejection of his asylum request.
According to security sources, he was issued a temporary residence permit valid until December 2024.
Rejected asylum application
According to information from the public service ARD, the suspect entered Germany at the end of 2022 and shortly thereafter submitted an application for asylum, which was rejected in September 2023.
During the search of his apartment, no firearms were found so far. Before his arrest, this Libyan was not known to German police or intelligence as an extremist.
Since, according to the information of the Ministry of the Interior of the federal state of Brandenburg, he has not committed any criminal acts, his possible departure from the country was not on the list of priority cases, as is usual for persons labeled as "dangerous Islamists" and serious criminals.
Deportations to Libya are almost impossible
"In general, returning to Libya is currently not possible, especially since international air connections with that country have been suspended," said a spokeswoman for the Brandenburg Ministry of the Interior. Voluntary deportations are, however, possible.
For Libya, there is no general ban on expulsions at the level of the whole of Germany, but in fact forced returns are difficult to implement due to the dysfunctional state structures in that North African country. This is why no one from Germany has been deported to Libya for years.
A similar discussion took place in August, when a Syrian killed three people with a knife at the festival in Zoligen. He too should have left Germany a long time ago or been deported.
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