Government · Düsseldorf and Solingen
NRW premier Wüst testifies before Solingen attack inquiry as opposition cries foul over last-minute scheduling
North Rhine-Westphalia's premier Hendrik Wüst appears before a state parliamentary committee investigating the 2024 Solingen knife attack that killed three, with the SPD accusing the governing coalition of breaking procedural agreements.
AI text based on reports by Süddeutsche Zeitung, ZEIT ONLINE and DIE WELT. Published . How it is made
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In brief
NRW premier Hendrik Wüst is called as a witness in the Solingen inquiry, with his session starting around 15:00 after deputy premier Mona Neubaur's 14:00 slot.
The opposition accuses the CDU-Green coalition of breaking procedural agreements and threatens to recall Wüst if key documents arrive late.
The NRW constitutional court will rule on rejected opposition evidence requests related to the committee's work.
Issa al Hasan killed three at a Solingen festival in August 2024. He had evaded a Dublin-rule deportation to Bulgaria and was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 23 JunDeputy premier Mona Neubaur testifies before the inquiry committee
- 23 JunPremier Hendrik Wüst testifies; state chancellery chief Nathanael Liminski also summoned
- 30 JunNRW constitutional court expected to rule on rejected opposition evidence requests
The hearing
North Rhine-Westphalia premier Hendrik Wüst (CDU) appears as a witness before the state parliament's committee of inquiry into the Solingen terrorist attack on Tuesday, with his testimony scheduled to begin around 15:00. Deputy premier Mona Neubaur (Greens) testifies first, starting at 14:00. State chancellery chief Nathanael Liminski is also summoned.
Opposition backlash
The SPD opposition has protested the short-notice scheduling of the witness appearances. The party argues the black-green governing majority is undermining a joint procedural agreement. The SPD has signalled it will summon Wüst again if important government documents arrive with the committee after his initial testimony.
Constitutional court date
The dispute over rejected opposition evidence requests in the Solingen committee will reach the North Rhine-Westphalia constitutional court on 30 June, when a ruling is expected.
The attack
On 23 August 2024, Syrian national Issa al Hasan killed three people with a knife and wounded many more at a town festival in Solingen. The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. Al Hasan should have been returned to Bulgaria under the EU Dublin rules a year earlier; one deportation attempt failed and no further attempt was made. The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court sentenced him to life imprisonment followed by preventive detention.
Political fallout
Refugee minister Josefine Paul (Greens) resigned in January during the committee's investigation. The opposition had accused her of disappearing after the attack and communicating only sluggishly.
“The governing majority is torpedoing a joint agreement.”
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Sources and context
- Hendrik Wüst
- Minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia, testifying before the Solingen inquiry
- Mona Neubaur
- Deputy minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia (Greens), testifying before Wüst
- Nathanael Liminski
- Head of the NRW state chancellery, summoned as a witness
- Issa al Hasan
- Syrian national convicted of the Solingen knife attack, sentenced to life imprisonment
- Josefine Paul
- Former NRW refugee minister (Greens), resigned in January 2026 during the inquiry
- Places
- Düsseldorf
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