A 22-year-old Tunisian failed asylum seeker has been charged in the German city of Worms, accused of stabbing his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend to death.
The murder occurred last Wednesday and saw 21-year-old Cynthia R. stabbed at least ten times at the home of her parents following an alleged dispute between the pair, according to testimony from the alleged murderer Ahmed T., Die Welt reports.
The victim’s uncle told German newspaper Bild of Cynthia: “She was such a nice person. She has never spoken badly about anyone. She lived for her profession. Also, she wanted to study to become a midwife.”
Investigators said that the Tunisian failed asylum seeker was known to police for previous crimes including drug charges, threats, intimidation, and violence. Last year, he served a three-week prison sentence for theft.
Arriving in Germany in October 2017, the Tunisian initially applied for asylum but was given so-called “tolerated” status rather than full refugee status. Mainz Attorney General Gerd Germaner said the Tunisian was set for deportation this year but had fled underground.
On Saturday, hundreds gathered in Worms to pay their respects for the victim, but the solemn funeral procession was interrupted by a 29-year-old Pakistani migrant who shouted “Allah hu Akbar!” at the gathered crowd before police arrested him.
The murder comes as just the latest in which an asylum seeker have killed in Germany, and follows several other high-profile cases including the rape and murder of Maria Ladenburger and the stabbing of 15-year-old Mia in Kandel.
In both cases, the asylum seekers who murdered them lied about being underage.
Neighbouring Austria, which also saw a huge influx of asylum seekers in 2015, has also seen a number of similar cases such as a recent murder of 16-year-old Manuela K. in January by a 19-year-old Syrian asylum seeker who confessed to the killing.