Suspect in rape case had been denied asylum in Germany

BERLIN – German authorities say a Ghanaian man arrested on suspicion of raping a camper at knife-point had been denied asylum days earlier.

The dpa news agency reported Monday that regional authorities in Cologne confirmed the 31-year-old suspect had arrived in Germany from Italy in February after being denied asylum there.

German authorities also rejected his asylum request, on March 23.

Prosecutors allege that on April 2 he attacked a couple camping near the western city of Bonn with a branch saw, and raped the 23-year-old woman in front of her boyfriend.

The suspect was arrested six days later. Prosecutors say genetic material from the crime matched the suspect’s DNA.

Details of the case prompted outrage in Germany, where high-profile crimes committed by asylum-seekers have drawn particular public scrutiny in recent years.