Suspect from Bielefeld did not falsify personal information
May 28, 2025, 17:45
In the wake of the knife attack in Bielefeld, a discrepancy emerged regarding the number of identities attributed to the suspect in the databases of the Ministry of Refugees and the Ministry of the Interior. The opposition called for clarification from Minister Paul, who outlined that the multiple names and nationalities were due to administrative errors and not aliases.
Minister Paul emphasized during the state parliament's Integration Committee that fingerprints kept the suspect identifiable throughout. He explained that different names and nationalities were a result of transcription errors and miscalculations. Moreover, she stressed that the case was not one of identity fraud during the asylum procedure.
The suspect had initially been registered under one name upon entry. Three additional, yet identical names appeared in the file issued by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). Similarly, the NRW Ministry of the Interior reported that the man was listed under another name and four additional nationalities within their databases.
However, it remains unclear why these presumed nationalities were not corrected, despite the man obtaining subsidiary protection and a legal residence status in Germany. Last week, the Minister of the Interior had even mentioned eight alias names in the police systems.
Though Minister Paul affirmed that the suspect's identity had never been in doubt, Lisa Kapteinat, the chairwoman of the AfD, drew a contrasting conclusion after the Integration Committee meeting.
The arrest of the suspected attacker from Bielefeld took place in Heiligenhaus. Authorities found several knives and a bag containing identity documents at the crime scene, but the source or ownership of these documents—specifically whether they belonged to multiple identities of the suspect—has not been confirmed. No records of prior criminal activities or use of multiple aliases by the suspect have been publicly disclosed.
The investigation continues, with authorities calling for further investigation to understand the full background and potential motives of the suspect completely.
Sources:- own research- Paul and representatives of the Ministry of the Interior in the Integration Committee- Interview with Paul after the Integration Committee- Interview with Lisa Kapteinat- Affected reactions after the knife attack in Bielefeld- Multiple groups demonstrate in Bielefeld after knife attack- 00:52 Update on the suspect in Bielefeld (audio)
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- Despite the confusion over multiple identities and nationalities of the suspect in the Bielefeld knife attack, Minister Paul maintains that the case was not one of identity fraud in Germany's policy-and-legislation of asylum procedures.
- The ongoing investigation into the Bielefeld knife attack reveals that the suspect was registered under one name upon entry but had additional, yet identical names in the databases of both the Ministry of Refugees and the Ministry of the Interior, raising questions about the general-news and crime-and-justice aspects of Germany's administration.
