Bavarian authorities are piecing together the movements of a 17-year-old
Afghan refugee who stabbed commuters in Würzburg. A video circulated by
IS purports to show the perpetrator, who was shot dead by police.
Three people were seriously injured on Monday night after a 17-year-old
Afghan refugee went on a stabbing rampage with a knife and an axe near
the southern German city of Würzburg, some 280 kilometers (174 miles)
north-west of Munich. The suspect was shot dead by police shortly after.
The incident occurred on Monday at around 9:15 p.m. local time (1915
UTC) on a regional commuter train traveling between the German towns of
Treuchtlingen and Würzburg. Fourteen passengers were also treated for
shock, while one other person sustained light injuries.
"Islamic State" (IS) flag found
Speaking on German television Tuesday, Bavarian Interior Minister
Joachim Herrmann said investigators were making contact with people
involved with the 17-year-old. He had been living in Würzburg since
March, in
a home for minors who had travelled to Germany unaccompanied to seek asylum. The foster family home where he had lived for the past two weeks was searched.
"A hand-painted IS flag was found in his room," Herrmann said.
"Islamic State" (IS) posted a video on Tuesday featuring an individual
that the militant group identified as the perpetrator of the attack. In
the clip the teenager is seen with a knife, saying he will use it to
kill infidels.
Aamaq, a news agency linked to IS, said
the group claimed responsibility for the attack and that the 17-year-old was its "fighter." The claim was phrased in a similar way to the IS response to the
Bastille Day truck attack which killed 84 people in Nice, France last week.
Herrmann had earlier said investigators were following every lead to
determine the teenager's motive and it was too early to say whether he
had an Islamist background. So far, it was understood that he had acted
alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment