A flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) was found in the room of an Afghan refugee who was shot dead by German police after attacking train passengers with an axe and knife, officials say.
Advertisement
An Afghan teenager was shot dead by the police after he injured several people with an axe on a train in southern Germany.
Reuters reported that three of the victims sustained serious injuries before the assailant fled from the train and was confronted by police officers in the southern German province of Bavaria.
Earlier on Tuesday, a hand-painted flag of the Islamic State group was found among the belongings of the teen, who had been staying with a foster family in the region.
The claim is phrased in the same way as the group’s claim of the truck attack that killed 84 people in southern France last week.
Police spokesman Fabian Hench said four people had been severely wounded and a fifth slightly injured.
The extremist group ISIL has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the police did not comment on the motive of the attack. He said that a special police unit was rerouted to the scene and apprehended the attacker in Heidingsfeld.
Reportedly, the leader of that territory, Leung Chun-ying has condemned the attack.
Germany let in almost 1.1 million asylum seekers a year ago, with Syrians being the largest group followed by Afghans, with the latest attack sparking fears of rising anti-refugee sentiment in Germany.
About 30 passengers were on the train at the time, and more than a dozen were treated for shock.
Here is what we know about Monday’s attack that the Islamic State group claims was carried out by one of its “fighters”.
“It is quite probable that this was an Islamist attack”, said a ministry spokesman, adding that the assailant had shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest).
The South China Morning Post said it was believed the four injured were a 62-year-old man, his 58-year-old wife, their daughter, 27, and her boyfriend, 31.
Unlike the USA or Canada, where refugees can stay permanently, asylum-seekers to Germany who are granted refugee status must reapply after that five-year period.
Herrmann told Reuters that the Pashto text was subject to interpretation, and stressed that the attack was no reason to cast suspicion on other refugees or for Germans to stop living their lives normally.
Advertisement
Herrmann said two victims members of a Chinese tourist family are in critical condition. He is being held in a psychiatric hospital.
