A police officer was fatally stabbed in Mannheim, Germany last week, and authorities believe the attack was motivated by Islamic extremism.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann announced this on social media, and the federal prosecutor's office has taken over the investigation due to its significance and suspected religious motivation.
The suspected assailant is a 25-year-old man from
Afghanistan who has lived in Germany since 2014 and had his asylum application rejected.
He allegedly attacked members of a group opposing "political Islam." Five members of the Pax Europa group were injured, along with a 29-year-old police officer, during an attack.
The officer died from his injuries on Sunday.
The assailant was shot and wounded by police, bringing the attack to an end.
The stabbing occurred just over a week before Germany's European Parliament elections.
Following the incident, some politicians from the opposition and governing party have called for the reinstatement of deportations to
Afghanistan and Syria, which were suspended when the Taliban took power in
Afghanistan in 2021.