Berlin, Jan 27 (IANS) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday called the “level of violence” in the United States “worrying” following recent fatal shootings by federal agents in the US state of Minnesota.
Speaking at a press conference in the northern German city of Hamburg, Merz was asked for his views on the incidents in which two American citizens were killed during US federal enforcement operations.
“I assume that the American authorities will now thoroughly investigate whether it was necessary to shoot in these cases and whether there really was a threat to the officers involved,” Merz said.
The chancellor’s remarks followed two deadly encounters this month in Minneapolis, the largest city in Minnesota. On Saturday morning, Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents, following a similar incident on January 7, when Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Meanwhile, the White House defended the role of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota and rejected criticism of its response to a fatal weekend shooting in Minneapolis, as President Donald Trump ordered senior officials to press state and local leaders to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Addressing a regular White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump was closely monitoring developments following the shooting of an ICE agent on Saturday and had approved federal emergency disaster declarations for multiple states hit by a severe winter storm, even as he focused on restoring “law and order” in Minnesota.
Leavitt said the administration was reviewing all aspects of the Minneapolis incident, with investigations underway by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, as well as an internal review by Customs and Border Protection. She stressed that the president wanted “to let the investigation continue and let the facts lead in this case.”
–IANS
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