German Chancellor Angela Merkel's welcoming policy on Syrian refugees "exposed" Germany to terror attacks like the one Monday which killed eight and injured 48, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said Tuesday.
"By her unilateral action by allowing this wave of refugees to come into Europe, she definitely exposed Germany, and others, to the risk of terrorism," Bolton told Fox News.
President-elect Donald Trump had referenced the danger of Merkel's immigration policies in Germany at various times during his campaign and doubled down on his views in a tweet after Monday's attack, too.
Bolton is not alone in his denouncement of Merkel's policies on immigration.
Beatrix von Storch, vice chair for the German party Alternatives fuer Deutschland party, told Radio 4's The World at One: "It is not possible to let in so many refugees and as far we know the terrorist was one of them."
"We always said the risk is rising, and we cannot handle the risk any more," she added. "The policy of Angela Merkel and the way she's addressing the immigration crisis is responsible for what is happening."
Bolton had been in contention to be Trump's nominee for secretary of State before he and his team selected Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for the position.
Bolton remains in the running to be deputy secretary of State, but there is a faction of those opposed to his nomination because of his support for the Iraq War and his hawkish views on regime change in the Middle East.