Iraqi Immigrant’s Arrest Warrant Leaked to Far-Right German Protesters

Authorities have confirmed that the arrest warrant for an Iraqi immigrant was leaked last week to Germany’s far-right protesters, who carried out violent xenophobic riots Sunday evening in response to the immigrant’s suspected slaying of a German man. The Guardian reported Wednesday that the leaked warrant, posted on Twitter by the founding member of a far-right protest group, included the full name of the Iraqi man, who was the main suspect in the murder of Daniel H. (the victim’s last name has not been released, per German custom). The resulting 6,000-person protest, carried out in the eastern city of Chemnitz, included riots, small mobs “hunting down” immigrants, and some yelling, “For every dead German, a dead foreigner.” The riots continued Monday night, as the police faced mounting criticism for failing to contain the protesters.

A police spokeswoman confirmed the tweeted copy of the arrest warrant was legitimate, adding that the department has “already instigated a judicial inquiry.” “To hear that the arrest warrant was probably leaked by the police to rightwing extremist circles means that we have a huge problem to deal with,” said the deputy premier of Saxony state. “This is an egregious occurrence.” The Guardian adds that this event only contributes to the public’s fear of collusion between far-right protesters and police, who have been accused of siding with protesters in recent weeks.