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2 people are killed in a knife attack in Germany; Scholz says there must be consequences

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2 people are killed in a knife attack in Germany; Scholz says there must be consequences

Two people, including a 2-year-old boy, were killed and three others injured in a stabbing attack in Bavaria on Wednesday. The suspect, a former asylum-seeker who was supposed to be leaving Germany, was arrested.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that authorities must clear up why the suspect was still in the country. He said the attack, a month before a national election in which curbing irregular migration is a major issue, must have consequences.

‘RANDOM’ STABBING SPREE AT FESTIVAL IN GERMANY LEAVES 3 DEAD, OTHERS INJURED: REPORT

The attack occurred just before noon in a park in Aschaffenburg, a city of about 72,000 people. Bavaria’s top security official, Joachim Herrmann, said the assailant attacked the boy, who was part of a group of kindergarten children, with a kitchen knife.

He said the 2-year-old of Moroccan origin was killed, along with a 41-year-old German man who was passing by and appeared to have intervened to protect the other children. Bavarian officials said two adults and a 2-year-old Syrian girl were injured and taken to a hospital for treatment, and none of their lives were in danger.

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Other passers-by chased the suspect and he was arrested 12 minutes after the attack, Herrmann said.

Rescue vehicles are seen near a crime scene in Aschaffenburg, Germany, Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, where two people were killed in a knife attack. (Ralf Hettler/dpa via AP)

He said the suspect, a 28-year-old Afghan national, had come to authorities’ attention at least three times because of acts of violence. On each occasion, he was sent for psychiatric treatment and later released.

The suspect is believed to have arrived in Germany in November 2022 and applied for asylum in early 2023, Herrmann said. On Dec. 4, he told authorities that he would leave the country voluntarily and would seek papers from the Afghan consulate. A week later, German authorities formally closed asylum proceedings and told him to leave.

Police will work over the coming days to identify his motive, Herrmann said, adding that suspicions so far point to his psychiatric illness. A first search of his room at a refugee home found no evidence that he had radical Islamic views, and only turned up medicine that would fit with his psychiatric treatment, he said.

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The attack is politically sensitive a month before Germany’s national election.

Scholz issued a strongly-worded statement condemning what he called “an incomprehensible act of terror.”

“I am tired of such acts of violence happening here every few weeks — by perpetrators who came to us to find protection here,” he said. “Mistaken tolerance is inappropriate here. Authorities must clear up at high pressure why the attacker was still in Germany at all.”

That must lead to “immediate consequences — it is not enough to talk,” Scholz added. He didn’t elaborate.

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Following a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant in Mannheim in May that left a police officer dead and four more people injured, Scholz vowed that Germany would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again. He vowed to step up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers following a knife attack in Solingen in August in which a suspected Islamic extremist from Syria is accused of killing three people.

At the end of August, Germany deported Afghan nationals to their homeland for the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

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Trump uniquely placed to ‘whisper’ in Erdogan’s ear over Turkish regional ambitions: Greek defense minister

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Trump uniquely placed to ‘whisper’ in Erdogan’s ear over Turkish regional ambitions: Greek defense minister

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FIRST ON FOX: Expansionist rhetoric has been a major concern in NATO for several years amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but according to Greece’s top defense official, the security alliance should take seriously similar threats from within its own coalition, in particular from Turkey.

A decades-old feud over the island nation of Cyprus between Greece and Turkey, both of which have been members of NATO since 1952, has plagued the alliance for over half a century and spill-over conflicts pushed the two countries nearly to the brink of war in the 1990s. 

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Though relations between Greece and Turkey have become less outwardly hostile in recent years, Erdoğan’s pursuit of regional natural resources coupled with his controversial geopolitical actions in the Middle East and Aegean Sea have long drawn criticism that he is looking to “recreate” the Ottoman Empire.

Nikos Dendias, minister of national defense of Greece, delivers a speech for Greece’s Independence Day in Athens March 25, 2024.  (Giorgos Arapekos/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

TURKEY AND GREECE LEADERS TO MEET, PUT FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE TO THE TEST AMID GAZA AND UKRAINE WARS

“There’s some people in Turkey that go back to the Ottoman times and believe that they could recreate the Ottoman Empire, including parts of Greece, parts of Syria, parts of Iraq, parts of Iran, half of the Caucasus, etc.,” Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said during an interview with Fox News Digital. 

“I hope that this is daydream, but it creates a lot of problems in the relations with Greece, a lot of problems within NATO.”

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Erdoğan, who has been president of Turkey since 2014, has long been criticized for his aggressive approach in dealing with regional nations like Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Israel, but also his oppressive practices at home that have targeted non-Sunni communities, including Shiites and Christians, journalists, women and Kurds. It’s an issue that has not only blocked Turkey from joining the European Union, but has increasingly held geopolitical ramifications for the U.S. 

The U.S.’s chief ally in the fight against ISIS in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has found itself in Ankara’s crosshairs as it views the Kurdish-affiliated force as being akin to the terrorist network, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). 

Turkey has routinely targeted the group and prompted international concern over how the SDF will be able to continue to effectively fight ISIS should the Trump administration withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

photo of us troops in syria training the ypg/sdf

U.S. forces provide military training to members of the YPG/SDF, which Turkey considers an extension of PKK in Syria, in the Qamisli district in the Al-Hasakah province of Syria Aug. 18, 2023. (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“ISIS, let us be frank and honest, is down but not out,” Dendias said. “The ideology behind ISIS, the ideology behind the Muslim Brotherhood is there, is alive and kicking. 

“And I have to say, the worst thing that you can do in life is forget your allies, forget the people who fought by your side in your hour of need, and turn against them or forget about them,” the defense minister continued. “I’m speaking about the Kurds fighting against ISIS for years. They should not be forgotten by the West.”

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TRUMP SAYS TURKEY ‘DID AN UNFRIENDLY TAKEOVER’ IN SYRIA AS US-BROKERED CEASE-FIRE APPEARS TO FAIL

The fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime has renewed concerns over regional stability, and the close dynamic between Trump and Erdoğan has raised more questions about how the Turkish president will pursue his regional ambitions. 

Dendias argued that the close relationship allegedly shared between the two world leaders will not necessarily embolden Erdoğan and could uniquely position Trump to “whisper” in the ear of the Turkish leader and remind him that “international law, international [rules] of the sea, is a way of life in this modern world.”

“I assume that it will not be good at all for NATO and would not be good at all for the United States of America to encourage Turkey to create a huge problem in the eastern front of NATO, taking also into account what’s happening in the Middle East and what’s happening between Russia and Ukraine,” the defense minster added. 

mugla turkey

The Blue Homeland-2025 Exercise, organized by the Turkish Naval Forces Command in the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and Eastern Mediterranean, commenced Jan. 8, 2025, in Mugla, Turkey. (Sabri Kesen/Anadolu via Getty Images)

TURKISH LEADER CLAIMS US BASES IN GREECE POSE DIRECT ‘THREAT’ AMID SPAT WITH ATHENS OVER NATO EXPANSION

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Earlier this month, Turkey relaunched military exercises in the Black, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas known as “Blue Homeland,” which Greece has long viewed as a show of force and prompted long-held maritime disputes to resurface. 

“This [is a] new Turkish neo-imperialist, neo-Ottoman approach,” Dendias said. “It started appearing somewhere in the first decade of the 21st century … which, in essence, claims that half of the Greek islands in the Aegean belong to Turkey. 

President Donald Trump, during his first presidency talks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as they arrive together for a family photo at a summit of heads of state and government at NATO headquarters in Brussels.  (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

President Donald Trump, during his first presidency talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as they arrive together for a family photo at a summit of heads of state and government at NATO headquarters in Brussels.  (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

“And sometimes they even go further. They claim that Crete, a huge island with very important NATO presence and an American base in Souda – again, should belong to Turkey.” 

The defense minster said Greece’s tense relations with Turkey have made its defensive posture in NATO unique because it has forced Athens to be on top of its defense spending, an issue that has once again become a top matter of discussion in the NATO alliance due to Trump’s push to have all nations meet a 5% GDP spending limit, up from 2%. 

The latest NATO spending figures released in June 2024 show Greece was the fifth-highest spender on defense in the alliance, spending more than 3% of its GPD, while Turkey came in 18th and spent just over 2% of its GDP on defense.  

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Erdogan and Greek prime minister shake hands

ANKARA, TURKEY- MAY 13: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) of Greece shakes hands with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey during a press conference after their meeting on May 13, 2024 in Ankara, Turkey.  (Yavuz Ozden/ dia images via Getty Images)

Dendias said European nations need to collectively agree on how they view security threat levels and the importance of defense spending.

“Regardless of President Trump’s position on 5%, it’s an internal issue and needs to be resolved,” Dendias added.

“The biggest threat is countries that do not abide by international law and do not abide by international law of the sea. Countries that believe that borders [are] something that you can disregard, that treaties and international treaties should work only if it’s to your advantage,” Dendias said. “That is the biggest threat to the whole world, not just Greece.”

Additional questions to Dendias about President Trump’s recent comments on his refusal to rule out military intervention in acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal were not answered. 

The Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions but instead pointed to a statement issued by the Turkish Minister of National Defense, Yaşar Güler, who ahead of the “Blue Homeland” exercises said, “Our country, located at the very heart of a region surrounded by conflicts and disputes, consistently emphasizes its commitment to international law and peace in preventing tensions and resolving crises.

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“We approach the development of our relations with our neighbor Greece within this framework and take significant steps toward resolving problems,” he added. “The efforts to portray Turkey’s determination to protect its rights and interests in the ‘Blue Homeland’ as ‘historical expansionism and aggression’ are nothing more than a futile attempt to disregard the rights granted to Turkey by international law. 

“However, while striving for a peaceful solution, we strongly emphasize that we will never compromise our national rights and interests,” Güler said earlier this month.

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Hamas releases three Israeli captives in Gaza’s Khan Younis and Gaza City

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Hamas releases three Israeli captives in Gaza’s Khan Younis and Gaza City

BREAKING,

Hamas hands over Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas to the Red Cross in Gaza’s Khan Younis, while Keith Siegel is to be freed in Gaza City.

The Palestinian group Hamas has released three Israeli captives in two separate handover rites, in the latest stage of a gradual exchange under a ceasefire deal that ended the 15-month Israeli genocide in Gaza.

French-Israeli national Ofer Kalderon and Israeli citizen Yarden Bibas were handed over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Al Jazeera TV showed on Saturday.

American-Israeli national Keith Siegel was handed over about an hour later to the same Red Cross officials in Gaza City in the northern part of the enclave.

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Hundreds of Hamas fighters were seen lining up and managing the crowd in both Khan Younis and Gaza, where Kalderon, Bibas and Siegel were separately handed to representatives of the International Red Cross.

Kalderon and Bibas were seen waving and greeting the crowd of Palestinians who watched the handover.

Siegel was later seen presented by Hamas on stage in Gaza City before he was handed over to the Red Cross.

So far, Kalderon and Bigas have arrived back in Israel, where they will undergo initial medical check-up before meeting their families.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, who is reporting from the site of the release in Khan Younis, described the handover as “well-organised” compared to the previous releases.

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“The scene is quite incredible, without stampeding observed before. Usually, such handover are made under very tense circumstances,” he said.

Luciano Zaccara, a professor at Qatar University and an expert on Middle East politics, said the latest release of captives proved that Hamas is still “able to organise and manage the situation in Gaza” despite the months-long Israeli bombardment.

“Even though Israel claimed that Hamas has been destroyed, the scenes we have witnessed give you an idea that Hamas is still there,” he told Al Jazeera.

“The exchange is moving without delay and we hope that the second phase of the ceasefire will start as planned.”

As part of the ceasefire deal entered on January 19, Israel is also expected to free 183 Palestinian prisoners in the fourth such exchange.

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Also on Saturday, the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt is likely to be reopened to allow sick and seriously-injured Palestinians to finally get treatment.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, who is reporting from Gaza City, said the opening is expected to happen later on Saturday, allowing an initial 50 sick Palestinians to be evacuated to Gaza. Each Palestinian will also be allowed to be accompanied by three family members.

“It is very significant” as it will also allow the delivery of humanitarian good to Palestinians in Gaza, Mahmoud said.

Gershon Baskin, an Israeli columnist living in West Jerusalem, noted in an interview wiht Al Jazeera that there is “very little talk about the opening” of the Rafah crossing within Israel.

Negotiations are due to start by Tuesday on agreements for the release of more than 60 remaining captives, the release of more Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in a second phase of the deal.

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The initial six-week ceasefire, agreed with Egyptian and Qatari mediators and backed by the United States, has so far stayed on track despite a number of incidents that have led both sides to accuse the other of violating the deal.

The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 captives, according to Israeli figures.

Israel’s campaign in response has destroyed much of the densely populated Gaza Strip and killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities.

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A fashion designer, Italian singer and Icelandic illustrator team up on Vatican exhibition

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A fashion designer, Italian singer and Icelandic illustrator team up on Vatican exhibition

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s Apostolic Library tapped Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, Italian singer Jovanotti and Icelandic illustrator Kristjana S Williams for an exhibition exploring world tours of the late 19th Century.

The exhibition, titled “En Route,” is the sixth in a series of events intended as a dialogue between the Vatican library’s heritage, dating to the 4th century, and contemporary art.

The library enlisted Chiuri, Jovanotti and Williams to explore the stories of selected travelers, and the contemporary meaning of a recently discovered collection of 1,200 newspapers gathered from remote corners of the world by the diplomat and scholar Cesare Poma during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Chiuri focused on six Victorian-era women who defied conventions by traveling the world on their own. She worked with the Chanakya School of Craft in India to create tapestries depicting the routes they traveled.

“It was interesting to see that they immediately felt the need to change their clothes, because otherwise it was not comfortable to travel, especially by bicycle,” Chiuri told a press preview on Friday. “The first item they took off was the corset.”

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A model wears a creation as part of the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Paris, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly).

Jovanotti, a singer-songwriter and globetrotter, exhibits a bicycle that he has ridden around the world, including on trips through China, Iran, Pakistan, New Zealand and most of Latin America. He also displays a disco ball that is made into a globe with silver mirrored panels representing the ocean, and gold ones for land.

“I liked the idea of bringing a disco ball to the Vatican,’’ he quipped.

The exhibition takes its name from a periodical by two French journalists, Lucien Leroy and Henri Papillaud, who published their global travels from 1895-97, in part to finance the journey. It runs from Feb. 15-Dec. 20.

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