Germany Train Axe Attack: Refugee Teenager ‘Had Hand-Drawn Isis Flag’ in Bedroom, Says Minister

Police have found a “hand painted Isis flag” in the room of the 17-year-old Afghan refugee who assaulted several passengers in Germany, the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann has said.

About 20 people were injured, including two who are in a life-threatening condition, during the attack on train close to the city of Wurzburg in Bavaria on Monday night.

The attacker, who was later shot dead by police, reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) during the incident. He had moved from a home for unaccompanied minor refugees to a foster family just weeks ago, and had lived in Germany for two years.

Mr Herrmann told ZDF Morning Magazine the perpetrator had acted alone.

According to the Federal Police about 25 to 30 people had been sitting in the regional of Treuchtlingen to Würzburg.

Most victims were from China, visiting Germany as tourists.

Eyewitness Thomas Velten, who went to see what had happened after the train stopped, told the Main Post the carriage was “like a battlefield” with a large amount of blood.

Police said the attacker had used “blunt” and “slashing” weapons. These were said to have been an axe and a knife, according to local media.

{snip}

Editor’s Note: According to this story:

The so-called Islamic State has released a video purporting to show an Afghan asylum seeker making threats before attacking a German train.

{snip}

In the video, a young man brandishing a knife says he is an “IS soldier” preparing for a suicide mission.

{snip}

The self-styled news agency of IS said he had launched the attack “in answer to the calls to target the countries of the coalition fighting the Islamic State”.

{snip}

In the video, IS identified the attacker as Muhammad Riyad, who can be heard speaking Pashto.

{snip}

To get a feeling for the wider ramifications of this attack in Germany, you just need to take a quick look at Twitter in German. Racist and xenophobic comments against asylum seekers compete with equally impassioned arguments in support of refugees–including a tweet by Green MP Renate Kuenast asking why police had killed the attacker rather then injuring him.

This has provoked in turn another storm online, saying the perpetrator is getting more sympathy than the victims.

{snip}