(Berlin) A man suspected of attacking passers-by with knives in Moers, western Germany, was shot dead on Tuesday, days after a deadly knife attack in the nearby town of Solingen, German police said.
Emergency services were called around 2:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. Eastern Time) on Tuesday to reports that a man had “assaulted and threatened several passers-by” in the city, Duisburg police said in a statement.
Officers were able to locate a 26-year-old German suspect who “attacked them with two knives in his hands,” police said.
Police shot the man, who was “fatally wounded,” but no other people were injured.
The incident comes as Germany is on high alert after three people were killed and eight injured in a knife attack on Friday at a street festival in Solingen, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Moers.
A 26-year-old Syrian man suspected of having links to the Islamic State group is believed to have carried out the attack.
Paying tribute to the victims on Monday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to strengthen German gun laws, “particularly with regard to the use of knives.”
The tightening of gun control will happen “very quickly,” Scholz said.
The Solingen attack has reignited the debate over immigration in the country and put additional pressure on Mr Scholz ahead of key regional elections scheduled for Sunday.
The alleged attacker should have been deported to Bulgaria, where he first arrived in the European Union, but he appears to have easily evaded deportation attempts.
On Monday, Mr Scholz said Germany would “do everything in its power to ensure that people who cannot and must not remain in Germany are repatriated and deported”.