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New Germany sex-crime figures reignite migration fight as exploitation probe expands

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New German crime figures and an expanding investigation into an alleged sexual exploitation of teenage girls near the Nuremberg, Germany, central railway station are intensifying a broader European battle over migration, integration and whether officials have been too reluctant to confront patterns of organized sexual abuse.

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Germany recorded 751 cases categorized as group rapes in 2025, according to the federal government’s response to a parliamentary inquiry submitted by the opposition Alternative für Deutschland party. All parties represented in the Bundestag German federal parliament may submit formal questions requiring government responses, a key tool through which opposition lawmakers scrutinize federal policy.

Police identified 1,087 suspects in the cases, including 509 German citizens and 578 non-German nationals. Syrians were the largest foreign-national group, with 110 suspects, followed by Afghans with 64, Iraqis with 46 and Turks with 44.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOCCER COACH WHO USED ALCOHOL AND DRUGS TO SEXUALLY ABUSE KIDS LEARNS FATE

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Two defendants are holding folders in front of their faces as a screen, while a defense attorney is talking to the right defendant and judicial officers are standing behind the defendants at a trial in Freiburg, Germany, Thursday, July 23, 2020.  (Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa via AP)

The government cautioned that «group rape» is not a separate criminal offense or standardized police category. Officials generated the figures by filtering recorded rape cases in which suspects were listed as not acting alone. The numbers represent suspects identified during police investigations, not people convicted in court.

The figures emerged as investigators in Nuremberg, Germany, pursued allegations that vulnerable girls were deliberately drawn into a network involving affection, gifts, narcotics and sexual exploitation.

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Bavarian police said in May that men operating around the city’s main railway station allegedly approached girls from unstable or vulnerable backgrounds, initially offering them attention, clothing or cosmetics. Investigators said some were later given hard drugs, including crystal meth, and that their resulting dependency was allegedly exploited to obtain sexual acts or other «services.»

STEPDAD ACCUSED OF SEX ASSAULT AS COPS WIDEN PROBE INTO GIRL’S LETHAL BENADRYL INGREDIENT DOSE

Protesters gather before a party convention of Alternative for Germany, or AfD in Erfurt, Germany, Saturday, July 4, 2026.

Protesters gather before a party convention of Alternative for Germany, or AfD in Erfurt, Germany, July 4, 2026. (Ebrahim Noroozi/The Associated Press )

The investigation, known as EKO Kajal, has continued to expand. Police said Tuesday that ten suspects were being held in pretrial detention in cases involving alleged sexual offenses against girls and young women and the distribution of drugs or medication to minors.

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In the latest arrests, police alleged that a 21-year-old Syrian man raped two girls, ages 15 and 18, in a Nuremberg, Germany, apartment after they were given narcotics by a 40-year-old Syrian man. Both men were detained, but the accusations remain allegations and have not been adjudicated. 

Emma Schubart, a research fellow at the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that the Nuremberg, Germany, allegations bear similarities to grooming-gang cases uncovered in Britain, where girls were plied with drugs and alcohol before being repeatedly abused by groups of men.

«It’s a severe failure in both countries,» Schubart said, arguing that the problem begins with insufficient screening and continues with inadequate integration after migrants arrive.

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«The first step that both authorities in the U.K. and in Germany really are not doing is screening migrants effectively,» she said. «But then, once the migrants are already here, the integration policy is completely lacking.»

Schubart said the isolation of some immigrant communities can contribute to «ghettoization» and create environments in which criminal networks operate with limited scrutiny or cooperation with authorities.

She also challenged the argument that disparities in some sexual-offense statistics can be explained primarily by poverty.

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POLYGAMOUS SECT LEADER CONVICTED ON STATE CHARGES AFTER GIRLS FOUND IN UNVENTILATED TRAILER

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A supporter wearing a plastic policeman’s helmet and holding fake money criticises the way the police dealt with the grooming gang scandal on Jan. 29, 2022, in Telford, England. (Martin Pope/Getty Images)

«Socioeconomic factors matter, but they absolutely do not fully explain the disparities,» Schubart said. «Native Germans from similar socioeconomic backgrounds absolutely do not show equivalent rates in group sexual offending.»

Schubart said she viewed the apparent intersection between drugs and sexual exploitation as an especially important parallel with Britain.

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«In the U.K. and in Germany, it’s a very similar pattern where it’s basically drug trafficking that also involves sex trafficking,» she said. «These drug-trafficking networks and cells operate across the country, not just in those cities where we see the crimes playing out.»

Britain has spent years reckoning with grooming scandals in places including Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford and Oxford, England, where official reviews found that police, social workers and local authorities repeatedly missed or ignored evidence that vulnerable children were being systematically abused.

Baroness Louise Casey’s national audit, published by the British government in June 2025, concluded that inconsistent definitions, incomplete records and failures to collect ethnicity data made it impossible to establish the full national scale of group-based child sexual exploitation. It nevertheless found evidence of the disproportionate representation of Pakistani-heritage suspects in some local datasets and cases, while warning against extrapolating those findings to the entire country.

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The British government later backed an independent inquiry intended to examine failures or obstruction by police, councils and other public bodies in relevant local areas.

Schubart argued that officials in both countries have sometimes avoided discussing offenders’ backgrounds out of concern that doing so could damage relations with minority communities.

«In the U.K., it’s usually the phrase ‘community relations,’» she said. «There’s a huge effort to not threaten community relations.»

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Germany’s ifo Institute reported in February 2025 that its analysis of district-level police data from 2018 through 2023 found no correlation between a rising foreign population and local crime rates, including in areas receiving more refugees.  

«We find no correlation between an increasing share of foreigners in a district and the local crime rate,» ifo researcher Jean-Victor Alipour said when the findings were released. «The same applies in particular to refugees.» Researchers said differences in suspect rates can be influenced by age, sex, urban concentration and other demographic factors.

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Protesters call for action by Oldham council over grooming gangs.

A woman poses with a sign as members of the public queue to enter a council meeting during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse and grooming gangs, outside the council offices at City Centre on Jan. 20, 2025, in Oldham, England. (Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

Germany’s Syrian population also plays a significant role in sectors facing severe labor shortages. 

The German Medical Association reported that 7,959 Syrian citizens were working as physicians in Germany at the end of 2025, making Syrians the country’s largest group of foreign doctors.

The competing evidence presents European governments with a difficult test: investigating organized exploitation and demographic patterns without political hesitation, while avoiding the suggestion that hundreds of suspects define millions of immigrants.

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Indonesian passenger ship carrying 240 people loses contact in Java Sea, search underway

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A passenger ship carrying 240 people vanished from contact in the Java Sea on Sunday local time, triggering an urgent search as Indonesian crews raced to locate the vessel.

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The Virgo Transport 8 was traveling from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin on the island of Borneo when communications with the ship were lost, the Associated Press reported, citing Indonesia’s Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office.

Authorities said the vessel was last tracked roughly 92 miles from a pier in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province.

MOM LOSES GRIP ON DAUGHTER AS PASSENGER FERRY CAPSIZES WITH 20 PEOPLE STILL MISSING

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Authorities are searching for the Virgo Transport 8 after the passenger ship lost contact while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan. (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)

Search-and-rescue teams launched an operation after receiving a report that the ship had suffered a communications failure during the voyage, according to the AP.

Officials had not reported any deaths or injuries as of Sunday, and it was not immediately clear what caused the vessel to lose contact or whether weather conditions were affecting the search.

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MULTIPLE RESCUED FROM PONTOON BOAT NEAR ALCATRAZ AS SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING PERSONS

Virgo Transport 8 passenger ship loses contact while crossing Indonesia’s Java Sea

The Virgo Transport 8 lost contact while traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, according to officials. (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)

The Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, before losing contact while crossing the Java Sea toward South Kalimantan.

The search remains underway.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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‘Trump-level’ smackdown earns Vance roaring praise as 2028 buzz builds at GOP convention

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Republicans reached a consensus that Vice President JD Vance solidified his position as the presumptive 2028 presidential candidate with his «Trump-level» smackdown of a foreign flag-waving protester who disrupted his speech at the Republican National Convention.

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Vance did not hesitate after a protester interrupted his primetime speech in Dallas on Thursday by waving the flags of the Palestinian Authority and Mexico. He recalled to those watching his speech on TV: «What the people at home missed is that we just had a protester interrupting us and waving the Mexican flag.»

«Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your a– over there. I’ll buy you the plane ticket,» the VP said, to which the crowd erupted into applause.

«JD Vance just MIC DROPPED a leftist heckler who interrupted him waving a Mexican flag…this place is DEAFENING,» conservative commentator Eric Daugherty wrote on X, adding, «TOTAL PANDEMONIUM.»

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CROWD ERUPTS AS VANCE SMACKS DOWN PROTESTER WAVING MEXICAN FLAG: ‘GET YOUR A– OVER THERE’

A protestor throws a Mexican flag as Vice President JD Vance speaks during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 10, 2026. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Popular conservative pundit Benny Johnson called Vance’s quick wit an «epic response.» President Donald Trump supporter and activist Scott Pressler similarly praised Vance for reacting «without missing a beat,» and called it «an iconic moment.»

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«This was masterful. A Trump-level move from JD Vance,» wrote Overton, a conservative commentary and news account. «Vice President Vance perfectly handled a protestor waving a Mexican flag at the RNC in Dallas. Then he fired back with a savage one-liner that sent the American Airlines Center into absolute bedlam.»

The moment was capped off with a «USA!» chant from those in the crowd at the GOP Midterm Convention.

Students for Trump co-founder Ryan Fournier wrote, «JD Vance just absolute [sic] WIPED THE FLOOR with a leftist heckler who interrupted his rally waving a Mexican flag.»

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«The crowd went completely WILD. Unbelievable energy,» wrote Fournier.

VANCE DECLARES DEMOCRATS ‘PARTY OF HATRED,’ SAYS PARTY HAS MOVED BEYOND BIG GOVERNMENT, CENSORSHIP

JD Vance

Vice President JD Vance introduces U.S. President Donald Trump to speak on stage on the second day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center on September 10, 2026, in Dallas, Texas. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

«JD Vance just notched the most iconic moment of the RNC when he told a protester waving a Mexican flag exactly what all red blooded Americans were thinking,» wrote Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet.

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Commentator Brilyn Hollyhand put it simply, posting on X, «Yea JD for President after this.»

Vance recovered from the interruption quickly, telling the crowd, «Ladies and gentlemen, I had a whole speech written. But I think I’ve got to change it because we just discovered the symbol of the far left — an idiot waving … a Mexican flag at a protest when he should be waving the flag of the United States of America.»

«Now, we all know, of course, that as much as that person might wave around a foreign flag, he’d much rather live in Dallas, or in Cincinnati, or in any one of our great cities than Mexico,» President Donald Trump’s No. 2 continued. «But while we wave the American flag and fight for the American dream, we have to remind ourselves tonight that the good life that is the foundation of this country’s promise is not guaranteed.»

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CHARLIE KIRK HONORED AT GOP CONVENTION WITH CALL TO REJECT ‘COMFORTABLE LOSING’

Republican National Convention attendees

People hold signs on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center on September 9, 2026, in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

«Every generation of Americans has had to fight for these things when it’s our turn,» he went on.

«And this fall, the Democrats are running candidates who will tell your children what they’re allowed to say, how they’re allowed to live, and importantly, who they ought to hate, because that’s what the Democrat Party is about in 2026,» Vance continued. «It’s not about you, it’s about foreign fraudsters, and it’s about who they hate. And we got to send their a–es back in November.»

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Speculation has swirled over who will be the heir to Trump’s MAGA throne in 2028. The consensus so far among Republicans appears to be split between Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — but a lot could change before the next presidential election.

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Top House chairman warns Congress against ‘complacency’ 25 years after 9/11

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House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., remembers exactly where he was when the World Trade Center was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

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«I was a senior in high school. I was in Mr. Ponzi’s government class. And that’s when the first plane hit. And one of the other teachers came in and was telling Mr. Ponzi about it,» he told Fox News Digital. «We all thought it was a little plane. And then we went to the next class. And then the second plane hit, and everybody realized that stuff was wrong.»

Twenty-five years later, Garbarino leads a congressional committee that oversees a Cabinet department created explicitly after the terror attack. He’s warning that Congress needs to change how it deals with potential threats to avoid another tragedy of that scale.

«Being chairman of the committee, being a New Yorker, it’s one of those things you focus on, and you want to make sure another 9/11 doesn’t happen, and doesn’t ever happen again. And that’s my goal. That’s my priority,» he said.

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House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., is sounding the alarm against congressional «complacency,» 25 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. (Newspix via Getty Images)

9/11 IS BECOMING HISTORY. MY GENERATION MUST MAKE SURE AMERICA NEVER FORGETS

«Congress is very good at being reactive… We don’t want another 9/11. So if I could leave my fingerprints on something here, it’s the fact that the focus, Congress’ focus on national security, Congress’ focus on homeland security or safety, is that we address an issue before something happens.»

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HOW 9/11 TRANSFORMED SYNAGOGUE SECURITY INTO A NEW REALITY FOR THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

He said Congress needed to get into the habit of passing laws ahead of time, «instead of being like, ‘Oh my God I can’t believe this happened, how did this happen, let’s fix it now.’»

«That’s why 9/11 happened. 9/11 happened because our intelligence agencies, they were siloed, they were not sharing information. I don’t know if it was a complacency or whatever, but there were a lot of problems,» Garbarino said. «I don’t want to fall into that same complacency.»

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Garbarino represents New York’s 2nd Congressional District, part of Long Island’s south shore. As a suburb of New York City, its residents are deeply attuned to that tragedy 25 years ago.

A lawmaker sits during a formal congressional hearing inside a government building.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Andrew Garbarino presides over a hearing in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington on Dec. 11, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

«We have people that lost loved ones that day that are still dealing with it 25 years later,» Garbarino said. «So the scar is still there.»

His district and others are also still dealing with illnesses stemming from that day, including first responders who bravely rushed to the collapsing twin towers.

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«There are now more people that have died from 9/11-related illnesses than died on the actual day. So it’s a day that keeps taking people away from us,» Garbarino said.

«You have firemen who, 9/11 was their first call. They were 21, 22 years old. They’re now 47… And a lot of these, some of these cancers, they take a while to take hold, and they’re now just getting sick.»

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN 9/11 AND ACCELERATED AGING

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People rush away from the collapsing World Trade Center in New York City.

People rush away from the collapsing World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, after two hijacked airplanes hit the twin towers in New York City in a terrorist attack. (Getty Images)

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed legislation led by Garbarino and others to address a projected funding shortfall for the World Trade Center Health Program, which helps survivors pay for their medical treatment.

He said nearly all congressional districts across the country have at least one person participating in the program, a testament to how widespread the tragedy’s effects are.

«People moved out of New York, people who came from all over the country after 9/11 to help, they all went back home, they also got sick. So this does affect the entire country,» Garbarino said.

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