BERLIN 

Germany will not allow terrorists to destroy peaceful coexistence in the country, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.

He made the remarks during a visit to the city of Solingen, where a stabbing attack claimed the lives of three people and left eight others injured.

“That was terrorism, terrorism against all of us, by threatening our lives, our coexistence, the way we live,” he told reporters, after visiting the square where the attack occurred on Friday night.

“They are threatening the peaceful coexistence of us all, the peaceful coexistence of Christians, Jews and Muslims. We are all one country that sticks together, and we will not let these evil criminals destroy this cohesion, and we will take tough and harsh action against them,” Scholz said.

The suspect, who randomly attacked people during a live music show in Solingen’s city center, turned himself in to police on Saturday.

He was identified by officials as Issa Al H., a 26-year-old Syrian, who was suspected of being a member of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group, and following their radical ideology.

Authorities have said the suspect came to Germany in 2022, but he did not qualify for refugee status in the country under immigration rules. He was supposed to be deported last year to Bulgaria, the first country he entered in the EU.