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Syrian Asylum Seeker Charged With Murder of German That Triggered Chemnitz Riots

The third-largest city in Germany's Free State of Saxony, Chemnitz, was rocked by a wave of protests and counter-rallies after a local man was stabbed to death by suspected migrants on 26 August. Violence continued for weeks, reigniting a nationwide debate on Berlin's migration policy.
Sputnik

German prosecutors have charged a Syrian man with second degree murder for the stabbing of a citizen in the east German city of Chemnitz, sparking violent protests and clashes with police in August.

The suspect, who is reportedly a Syrian asylum seeker and was identified only as Alaa S. due to national privacy laws, is accused of stabbing a German-Cuban man during a quarrel.

READ MORE: Reports of 'Extremists' in Chemnitz Likely to be Misinformation — German Intel

This development comes as Berlin issued an international arrest warrant for another suspect in the case, who is reportedly on the run. The suspect of Iraqi origin was identified as Farhad R.A.

Daniel Hillig was killed in Chemnitz on 26 August, allegedly by two migrants of Iraqi and Syrian descent.

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Earlier, prosecutors pledged to make a decision on the third suspect in the Chemnitz killing over the next few days. Iraqi citizen Yousif Awas was released from custody due to a lack of evidence in September, according to his lawyer.

Mr. Hillig's murder sparked a wave of anti-immigrant rallies and counter-protests in the subsequent weeks, with thousands of people taking to the streets of the Saxon city.

About 18 people were injured and hundreds more detained during the rallies which saw violent clashes between police and various groups of protesters.

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