Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, designated an act committed Friday against an anti-Islam rally as an “attack,” incriminating “Islamist terrorism.”
Tl;dr
- A German police officer has died after an attack in Mannheim.
- The attacker is an Afghan national living in Germany.
- The attack targeted an anti-Islam rally and injured six people.
- The German government attributes the act to “Islamist terrorism.”
Germany mourns police officer
Germany is in mourning following the loss of a 29 year old policeman, victim of an attack in the middle of an anti-Islam rally in Mannheim. Despite the efforts of surgeons who carried out several emergency interventions, the officer, who was seriously injured in the head, did not survive.
The ongoing investigation to determine the circumstances and motivations
The Mannheim public prosecutor’s office and the local police jointly announced this tragic death. This comes following an “attack” that not only took the life of this officer, but also left five other people injured.
The attacker, a “25 year old man born in Afghanistan and settled in Germany since 2014” was neutralized during the police intervention.
The government takes stock of the tragedy
Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the incident an “attack” and said he was seriously affected by the loss. As for the motivations of the attacker, investigators prefer to remain cautious before concluding that there is an Islamist lead. However, the Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, already put forward this hypothesis last Friday. Faced with persistent terrorist threats, it recalls the importance of continue the fight against Islamist terrorism.
A political heavyweight denounces “Islamist terrorism”
For Finance Minister Christian Lindner, leader of the liberal FDP party and central figure in the coalition government, the culpability of “Islamist terrorism” is obvious. Deeply touched by the death of the officer, he calls for an end to misplaced tolerance.
The sad reality of this attack is even more striking thanks to images circulating on social networks, showing the attacker armed with a dagger and attacking several members of the Pax Europa Citizen Movement (BPE).
The BPE is a group that denounces political Islam in Germany and counts among its victims one of its most recognized figures, Michael Stürzenberger. The latter is known for his anti-Islam activism and his links with the German far right.
