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Berlin, January 23 (Reuters) - Germany's main opposition leader declared on Thursday his intention to implement immediate border controls if elected chancellor following next month's elections. This announcement came following an attack by an Afghan asylum seeker with a deadly knife targeting children.

Friedrich Merz, whose proposal would require approval from coalition partners following the February 23 vote where his party is expected to come out on top with a minority, emphasized that the recent attack, resulting in the death of a two-year-old boy and a passerby, should not be normalized.

Merz stated that all "illegal immigrants" should be prevented from entering the country, including those seeking asylum. He criticized the EU's migration rules as "dysfunctional" and proposed departing from the Schengen principle of free movement within the bloc, affirming his commitment to implement permanent controls at all German borders immediately upon taking office.

Regarding the recent stabbings, which are part of a series of violent incidents in Germany raising concerns over migration and bolstering support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Merz's policies, if enacted, could have significant repercussions on European politics, challenging the EU's freedom of movement model.

The 28-year-old Afghan suspect, with a history of violent behavior and undergoing psychiatric treatment, was scheduled to appear before a judge on Thursday for a decision on pre-trial detention.

The tragic incident, which occurred in a park in the Bavarian city of Aschaffenburg, resulted in the deaths of a two-year-old boy of Moroccan descent and a 41-year-old man who tried to intervene, while three others were injured.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose Social Democrats (SPD) are lagging in polls, condemned the attack as an "unbelievable act of terror" and emphasized the urgency of investigating why the attacker remained in Germany despite indications that he intended to leave.

Merz also criticized the EU's Dublin rules and urged the expansion of migrant detention centers to enable swift deportation of individuals who have been ordered to leave the country.

Christian Walburg, a criminology professor at Muenster University, highlighted that refugees are statistically more prone to violent crime due to factors such as age, gender, and traumatic pasts, compared to the general German population.