Exposing the Discord: A Ruckus over Text Messaging Dialogues post-Solingen Incident
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Worry about SMS logs after the Solingen assault incident - Implementation measures already undertaken by the Commission to see its plans come to fruition.
Text Messages following the occurrence in Solingen spark turbulence: A lately exposed conversation between the Ministry of the Interior's State Secretary Daniela Lesmeister and her counterpart from the Refugee Ministry reveals a apparent confusion.
Under the scrutiny of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee (PUA), the Ministry of the Interior disclosed a two-page communications record with Refugee State Secretary Lorenz Bahr-Hedemann regarding the deadly terrorist attack. The document, initially reported by WDR and "Kölnische Rundschau," is now accessible to dpa.
On August 23, 2023, the Iraqi Jamal A. allegedly caused the death of three individuals and injured eight more in a stabbing attack at a city festival in Solingen. He is currently detained, charged with murder. The terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the incident.
"Please keep us updated"
According to the record, Bahr-Hedemann dispatched a text message to Lesmeister (Dear Daniela) in the afternoon post-attack following a mention in "Der Spiegel" about the arrest of an alleged co-conspirator (15) of the attacker in a refugee shelter: "Please update us promptly and kindly inform me ahead of time if it was a government facility?" Lesmeister apparently replied within the same minute: "I'll get back to you shortly."
The subsequent events remain unclear. However, as per the protocol, Bahr-Hedemann sent another text at 22:48: "Dear Daniela, I apologize for the interruption. Regrettably, I have not received any new updates from you, neither directly from the LKA or through our organization (security meeting). This is problematic."
The state secretary elaborated in the message: "From the press, I can see that you, alongside the SEK, stormed a refugee accommodation, likely on Sonnenstraße, to apprehend the suspected perpetrator. Please maintain communication, as it is evident that we will receive numerous inquiries regarding the suspects, their refugee history, immigration status, etc. Best regards, Lorenz."
Ministry: Message overlooked
As per the Ministry of the Interior's summary on the protocol, Lesmeister did not spot the 22:48 message. It is also absent from the message history. The document states that it remains unclear whether this message was obscured by subsequent follow-up messages or if it did not arrive.
At 00:21, Bahr-Hedemann presumably sent another message, this time transmitting a link to an online article stating that the suspect had been arrested. There is no text response from Lesmeister in the protocol.
The following day, Bahr-Hedemann reportedly dispatched another text: "Dear Daniela, I am astonished by the information that the press has (name of the suspected perpetrator, that he had already surrendered himself yesterday, his status under the immigrant laws, the failed deportation according to Dublin, etc.). And of course, it's no surprise that not only you, but also we, as expected, face numerous media inquiries. Best regards, Lorenz"
Lesmeister's brief answer: "Indeed, Lorenz, I am also shocked! That's always the issue. Best regards."
In domestic politics, the public disclosure of this episode has caused a commotion: "No support without a vote - the state government has utterly failed in its communication," said FDP MP Marc Lürbke, representing his faction in the parliamentary inquiry into Solingen. "The alarming question arises as to whether one can trust each other in counter-terrorism. Such crisis management cannot be handled through text message silence," Lürbke asserted. Moreover, he argued: "If state secretaries only send newspaper clippings, that's not only unprofessional, but a clear indication that the Ministry of the Interior appears to have deliberately refused any cooperation."
The SPD's parliamentary inquiry officer, Lisa Kapteinat, also sharply criticized the administration: "The Ministry of the Interior seems to have intentionally withheld information from the Ministry of Refugees, which is led by the Greens: No standard exchange of notifications about crucial incidents, no further involvement of the Ministry of Refugees, no ministerial-level phone calls - the new revelations indicate that the CDU-led Ministry of the Interior is preventing information from being shared with its coalition partner."
Lesmeister spoke with WDR, stating she would refrain from commenting on the chats "out of respect to the essential work of the parliamentary inquiry committee." The two ministries purportedly asserted that they had endeavored to facilitate a timely exchange of information.
- Text Messages
- Solingen
- Ministry of the Interior
- Love
- Parliamentary Inquiry Committee
- WDR
- Düsseldorf
- Cologne City Newspaper
- Jamal A.
- IS
- Mobile phone
- Arrest
[1] Politico
[2] BBC
[3] Deutsche Welle
- The text messages between Daniela Lesmeister, State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, and Lorenz Bahr-Hedemann, State Secretary of the Refugee Ministry, revealed a perceived communication gap after the Solingen incident, leading to questions about cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts.
- The Parliamentary Investigative Committee (PUA) scrutinizes the Ministry of the Interior over a missing text message sent by Lorenz Bahr-Hedemann to Daniela Lesmeister, requesting updates on the potential connection between the Solingen terrorist attack and a refugee shelter.
- The text message exchange between the two state secretaries took place amidst general news and crime-and-justice discussions, as well as protocols related to terrorist activities, drawing attention to the importance of effective employment policies in managing such situations.
- The Solingen incident and the subsequent text messages between the Ministry of the Interior and the Refugee Ministry have raised concerns in politics, with questions about the efficiency of community policy, transparency in crisis management, and the overall cooperation between the ministries in confronting terrorism.
