Islamic terror strikes again in Germany

German authorities announced Friday that the investigation into the mass attack committed yesterday in Munich by an Afghan citizen has revealed suspicions of an "Islamist motivation," although there is no evidence that the detainee belongs to any specific organization.

The number of injured has risen to 36, including two people in critical condition, including a two-year-old girl.

At a press conference in Munich, the vice-president of the Regional Criminal Investigation Office, Guido Limmer, said that the suspect was being investigated for "a certain Islamist orientation", and that a message was found in which he said goodbye to a relative before the incident.

Prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann, from the Central Office for the Fight against Extremism and Terrorism, also referred to “signs of an extremist motivation”, although she admitted that less than 24 hours after the attack there were still “no conclusive answers”.

Contrary to earlier reports, the suspect was legally in Germany, where he worked as a security guard in a shop, and had no criminal record, he said, although he had been investigated for alleged labour fraud.

Tilmann said the suspect was very active on social media, where he described himself as a bodybuilder and fitness model, but also posted religious content and shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest) when he was arrested.

"Yesterday, during questioning, he admitted that he deliberately attacked the demonstrators. He gave a justification for this that I would summarise as religious," said the prosecutor.

The suspect, who will appear before the investigating judge on Friday, acted alone and so far there has been no evidence that he belonged to any kind of organised group or that he had accomplices, Tilmann concluded.

According to police information provided yesterday, the suspect, a 24-year-old Afghan who arrived in Germany in 2016 and was granted a residence permit after his asylum application was rejected, drove up to the tail end of a public employees' demonstration called by the Ver.di union to demand a new collective agreement.

After overtaking police cars accompanying the end of the march, the suspect allegedly accelerated into the crowd and was arrested minutes later by police, who fired a warning shot.

So far, 36 people have been injured, including two critically, eight seriously and ten moderately seriously. EFE