Ibrahim A., the alleged perpetrator of Brokstedt's knife attack, is now being investigated for double murder and attempted manslaughter.

But even before that he was no stranger to the German authorities.

There were proceedings against him for a wide variety of crimes, the list goes right through the penal code.

Why was he still in the country?

Julian Staib

Political correspondent for northern Germany and Scandinavia based in Hamburg.

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According to the Central Register of Foreigners, there were more than 300,000 people who were legally obliged to leave Germany at the end of last year.

However, that does not mean that they all actually have to leave the country or can be deported.

Almost 250,000 have the status of a toleration, for a variety of reasons.

Very few can be deported and only if they do not go into hiding shortly before the deportation date, if the countries of origin cooperate, if passports are available (or the countries of origin issue new ones).

A stateless Palestinian is likely to be a particularly difficult case for the authorities.

But no attempts were made to deport A.

He applied for asylum in North Rhine-Westphalia in November 2014 and received subsidiary protection, which he retained until the end.

Subsidiary protection is granted to persons who are not individually persecuted but who are at risk of serious harm in their country of origin (e.g. through torture or violence).

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have also received the status since 2015.

It is unclear why A., who was born in the Gaza Strip, was granted protection.

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) did not provide any information on request.

One does not comment on individual cases, said a spokesman.

Inmate injured in prison

Before A. moved to northern Germany, he lived in North Rhine-Westphalia.

There he was already repeatedly delinquent: There were proceedings against him for threats, property damage, shoplifting, fraud and sexual harassment, several times for bodily harm.

In Schleswig-Holstein, where he moved to in the summer of 2021, and in Hamburg, things went similarly: there were proceedings for theft and bodily harm.

At the end of 2021, he attacked a man with an iron bar at Hamburg Central Station.

In that year he was also thrown out of accommodation in Kiel and was banned from entering the home because he had molested roommates.

Then, in January 2022, he repeatedly stabbed a homeless man with whom he had gotten into a fight in line at a food distribution point.

A. was therefore sentenced to imprisonment for one year and one week by a Hamburg court.

He is said to have injured a fellow inmate in prison.

Kiel reported him to the Bamf in November 2021 because of the crimes.

This opened a "cancellation and withdrawal procedure".

This means that the granting of protection status can be revoked if the requirements for this are no longer met.

That is, if the persecution situation has changed, or if there are reasons for exclusion, for example crimes have been committed.

The procedure can lead to deportation.

How it turned out is unclear.

The Bamf did not want to give any information on this.

Again with the note that one does not comment on individual cases.

It can be assumed, however, that the process was not yet complete.