German police are trying this Saturday to find out more about the motivations of a young man with psychiatric disorders who killed three people and seriously injured at least five others in a brutal knife attack the day before.
Würzburg, in southern Germany.
The man, presented as being of Somali nationality and arriving in this Bavarian city in 2015, was able to be subdued thanks to the intervention of passers-by, several of whom politicians praised the civic courage. The police and local authorities have scheduled a press conference at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. in Paris).
“Extreme brutality”
Faced with the shock felt in Germany, government spokesman Steffen Seibert stressed that the investigation would reveal what motivated the aggressor. “But what is certain is that this horrible act is directed against all humanity and all religions,” he tweeted. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “shocked”, while the attacker showed “extreme brutality”.
The pretty city of 130,000 inhabitants woke up dazed: residents came to lay flowers and candles at the scene of the attack. “I’m sad and in shock, that’s why I came here today. It’s the least we can do, ”said one resident, Franziska.
Religious terrorism?
As early as Friday evening, the Bavarian Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann, announced that the alleged 24-year-old attacker had been known for several months for acts of violence and psychiatric disorders. He had even been recently interned in a psychiatric establishment, he said, going there in the evening. The conservative minister also referred to a witness claiming that the assailant shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the greatest) while carrying out the attack, a formula which, however, does not imply religious fanaticism. The national anti-terrorist prosecution has not been contacted at this stage.
However, according to Der Spiegel, the man presented as Abdirahman JA claimed to have wanted to lead his jihad by committing this slaughter. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party took up the case to denounce “the Islamist knife killings in the heart of Germany”, according to a tweet from its co-president, Jörg Meuthen . The AfD, which has built much of its discourse on the rejection of Islam and immigration, also saw this attack as “further proof of the failure of (Angela) Merkel’s migration policy. “.
“Courageous citizens”
The candidate of the conservatives and possible successor of Angela Merkel to the chancellery Armin Laschet, for his part, expressed his “great respect” towards “the courageous citizens who quickly intervened” to stop the aggressor. The candidate for the Greens, Annalena Baerbock, also sent “a big thank you” to the rescue teams and “to the courageous citizens” who intervened.
Joachim Herrmann said the Somali had been living in the city since 2015 and according to the Spiegel, this man from Mogadishu had obtained a residence permit. He had been living in a homeless shelter for some time, according to the dpa agency.
Previous in the same city
The attack began in the late afternoon at a downtown Woolworth department store. According to the daily Bild, the man stole a knife before randomly attacking several people inside the store, killing three of them before continuing to a nearby savings bank and injuring others.
Amateur videos broadcast on Friday evening on social networks showed scenes of great violence. The assailant, barefoot and wearing a protective mask, staggered, long knife in hand, in the street as passers-by tried to stop him by grabbing chairs from café terraces and sticks. The man was eventually arrested by police who shot him in the thigh.
In 2016, a previous ax attack by an Afghan asylum seeker took place on a train in the same city of Würzburg, leaving five injured. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) organization.
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