A 31-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker named Zaid K has been arrested by the German police over suspicion that he raped one woman and tried to rape another. His arrest, coupled with that of an Afghan migrant over the assault and killing of an EU official's daughter could further turn the tide of emotions against refugees in Germany.
There has already been a rise of right-wing sentiment in Europe following the huge influx of refugees from the Middle-East — a move that is the largest of its kind anywhere in the world since World War II. What's more, there is rising discontent over the practices and religion these people are bringing into Europe, with France having already banned the burqa and German Chancellor Angela Merkel having called for it in her own country.
Now, with the arrest of yet another asylum-seeker on charges of rape and assault, the tide of mass sentiment is expected to turn even further against refugees or migrants. It may be noted that Zaid has been accused of first assaulting a 21-year-old Chinese student with intent of rape in August, and then raping and assaulting a 27-year-old Chinese student.
According to a Daily Mail report, Zaid was arrested after the boyfriend of one of his victims managed to snag a photo of him when he visited the spot of the attack after a few days.
Matters exacerbated
Zaid's arrest comes just days after 17-year-old illegal Afghan migrant Hussein Khavari was held for raping and murdering Maria Ladenburger in Freiburg. Maria, a medical student, happened to be the daughter of a legal adviser to the European Commission in Brussels. The manner of the murder — drowning — led to further outrage.
Germany, which had initially welcomed asylum-seekers with open arms, seems more circumspect now, with it being announced on Wednesday that migrants had committed as many as 1,576 sex crimes in Germany in 2015. What exacerbated matters was that the number had already reached 1,683 in just the first six months of 2016.
