'Afghan' refugee on trial for killing German teen

BERLIN: A refugee who claimed to be from Afghanistan went on trial in Germany on Monday charged with stabbing his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend to death, in a case that has stoked popular anger.
Witnesses say the accused, who has been identified by German media as Abdul D., fatally knifed the German teen at a drugstore in the town of Kandel on Dec 27.
"The prosecutors believe that the motive is jealousy," said Robert Schelp, Landau court spokesman.
The hearing is taking place behind closed doors under juvenile penal rules, even though prosecutors have raised questions about whether the accused is 15 as he has claimed.
Abdul D. arrived in Germany in April 2016 and his request for asylum was rejected in February 2017 although he was not immediately deported.
The case is one in a string of high profile crimes allegedly involving asylum seekers that has fuelled anger against the new arrivals and put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel over her liberal refugee policy.
Hardliners in Merkel's conservative bloc on Monday gave the German leader a two-week ultimatum to tighten asylum rules or risk pitching the country into a political crisis, as tensions over migration reignite across the EU. — AFP