German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has vowed to increase the number of deportations of illegal immigrants following a mass stabbing attack carried out by a person associated with ISIS, who was also a failed asylum seeker who should have been deported a year earlier. The attack resulted in three deaths and multiple injuries.

During a visit to the site of the stabbing on Monday, Scholz stated “We will have to do everything we can to ensure that those who cannot and are not allowed to stay in Germany are repatriated and deported.”

“This was terrorism, terrorism against us all,” he added.

Shortly after the attack that took place, ISIS claimed responsibility. It was soon revealed that the attacker was a Syrian migrant who had turned himself in and was supposed to have been deported a year prior. His asylum application in Germany was rejected because he had first arrived in Bulgaria, and European Union rules stipulate that migrants must apply for asylum in the first EU country they enter, according to the National Pulse.

Despite this, the Syrian migrant remained in Germany for months and was not deported but instead sent to live in a refugee facility in Solingen.

The Chancellor's announcement comes as the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, known for its anti-mass migration stance, has been rising in the polls ahead of several regional elections next month. Scholz had previously promised to address the rise in crime among migrants last July, following another stabbing incident involving an asylum seeker. Although he had previously supported welcoming migrants into the country, Scholz's comments reflect a shift in response to recent events and growing popularity among voters to be more strict on mass migration, particularly from Middle Eastern countries.