Refugee found stabbed to death in Dresden, Germany

DRESDEN , Germany, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Police are investigating the death of an Eritrean asylum-seeking refugee in Dresden, Germany, a hotbed of anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic protest.

The state prosecutors' office confirmed that the body of Khaled Idris Behray, 20, was found dead Tuesday on a street near his home, a victim of a violent crime. Although police initially said no foul play was involved, Dresden police chief Dieter Kroll admitted Thursday, "It is murder. We now have evidence to confirm that a stab from a knife was the cause of his injuries."

A spokesman for the green party, one of Germany's leading left-wing political parties, said swastikas were painted on the door of the residence Behray shared with seven other asylum-seekers.

Dresden has been the site of near-weekly demonstrations protesting the number of immigrants, and the growing influence of Islam, in Germany. The rallies began as opposition to the number of refugee shelters in the city, and have grown to include 25,000 protesters on Jan. 12. Counter-protests across Germany, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's continued support for the country's four million Muslims, have acted as a balance of tensions.