It’s gotta suck to live in Germany these days. They can’t even trust their government to prosecute criminals… even the worst kind of criminals.
It’s never a good thing to let the bad guys walk. But it makes a difference what they’re charged with. A shoplifter is different than a bank robber. Simple assault is different than a serial killer. If you have to turn a blind eye to someone, make sure it’s the lesser crime, right?
On our side of the Atlantic, it was bad when the DOJ emptied the prisons, only to see many reoffend. But it was worse when the exchange for Bergdahl went down. It’s never great, but there is a difference of scale.
Ok. So, what happened in Germany?
In Frankfurt, the Court system is overburdened. Their court system has full schedule. That’s why the guy they arrested and were holding in prison has been let go. It was “unfair” to hold him when they had no date in sight for his trial.
Ok. In certain instances, that seems fair… what was the crime? Shoplifting? Simple assault? No. The crime was Jihad. In 2015 he was charged with “preparing a serious crime against the state” and was alleged that he had intended to join ISIS in Syria.
What was the problem? The official said “the court is doing other things at the moment.” Read that line again, slowly. What possible crime could take precedence over the criminal prosecution of a jihadi? I guess they couldn’t bump some guy charged for a fistfight, or whatever down the list some to make room? It gets worse.
So he is released into the public, and must report in with police 3 times a week while investigations into his alleged crime continue. Of course. Nothing could go wrong with that plan. Hold that thought in your mind as bring up another recent article — from the same part of the world.
Germany, the article tells us, has misplaced a few people. By a few, I mean 130,000 people.
We are told that, 13% of the 1.1 million asylum seekers registered in 2015 never showed up at the reception centers to which they were directed. Why didn’t they show up? Where are they now? Who knows? And that’s exactly the point.
Chances are, those who showed up where they were sent are not the ones we really need to worry about. It’s the ones who disappear into the shadows that could become the problem at some point in the future. They will pose a greater risk of aligning themselves with an Islamist movement. The ones who most NEED to be watched are not being watched.
There’s another wrench thrown into the mix. Until they are found guilty of a crime, or are in some way connected with a group of terrorists, even the worst people among them will seem like any other German citizen. There will be no criminal record. They will not show up on a watch list. They are free to get a passport, they can freely travel. So these missing people are not just posing a risk to their own people, but could pose a risk to their friends and neighbours.
It’s a complex question. Are American tourists still safe in visiting European destinations? Are people coming here from Europe to be trusted the way they once were? Or should we be concerned that they might have a black flag in their suitcase?
And since 10% of their refugees are disappearing into the shadows, instead of following protocols, what does that tell us about our own immigration methods? Will we have people similarly falling off The Grid? And what does that mean for the safety of our citizens?
They are not easy questions, but they need to be asked.
