Overview
- Federal police escorted a Freebird A320 that left Leipzig/Halle overnight Tuesday, stopped in Trabzon, and delivered the men to Taliban authorities in Kabul.
- The Interior Ministry said all 25 were under orders to leave and had convictions that include homicide, rape, serious assault, and drug crimes.
- The flight relied on a new working deal with the Taliban that allows regular charter deportations, after Germany paused most returns following the 2021 takeover.
- Many were taken straight from prison and brought from at least 13 states under tight secrecy to Leipzig/Halle, an airport without a night flight ban.
- Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt calls such flights a core public-safety step, while PRO ASYL and The Left warn of abuse risks and say the cooperation helps normalize Taliban rule.