Knife attack at the airport: Police shoot down alleged perpetrators

Knife attack at the airport: Police shoot down alleged perpetrators

On May 19, 2025, Las Palmas Airport on Gran Canaria led to a worrying incident when an 18-year-old migrant from Gambia threatened several people with a knife. The situation escalated at a bus stop in front of the terminal when the man initially tried to rob a taxi driver before mixing himself with tourists. This reports Vol.at .

The police were alerted due to the threat situation. When they arrive, the man attacked two officials with the knife and pushed one of them to the ground. Monitoring videos document how the attacker jumped between the emergency services back and forth, which the police campaign also complained.

firearm use of the police

The police were forced to use firearms. In total, the police fired five shots, one of which fatally met the attacker in the neck area. While the exact motives of the man, who wanted to get into the departure area prematurely at the airport, have so far been unclear, questions about the security situation at the airports have also been asked. A crime knife was found in the attacker's backpack. Justice authorities have already started an investigation to use firearms.

It is remarkable that the man had previously noticed the police in connection with another incident. This fact raises additional questions about the assessment of sources of danger and the handling of migrants with a criminal background.

discussion about knife attacks and migration

In Germany, the discussion about knife attacks and their perpetrators have increasingly gained driving in recent years. According to an evaluation of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), a total of 8,951 knife attacks in connection with dangerous and serious bodily harm were registered in 2023. This represents a significant increase compared to previous years. In 2022 with 8,160 and 2021 with 7,071 knife attacks, the trend at a high level was widely discussed in society. The origin of the perpetrators is also strongly discussed in the debate, whereby 180 Germans and 216 non-German suspects were identified in Germany in 2023, with a large number of these perpetrators being migrants, such as stern.de shown.

The topic is particularly relevant because federal states deal differently with the problem. North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, reports on a strong differentiation between German and foreign suspects. In addition, around 13.9 million foreigners currently live in Germany, which underlines the complexity of the debate.