The Islamic State claimed responsibility after a 17 year old recent Afghan migrant hacked four people on a German train in the late hours of July 18, and was shot dead by German police.
The attacker reportedly screamed Allahu Akhbar (god is great) and left behind a note with a hand drawing of ISIS’s flag along with a Pashto statement declaring allegiance to ISIS. ISIS’s official news agency claimed responsibility for the attack shortly after German authorities confirmed the motivations of the attacker. The attacker reportedly tried to evade police by jumping off the train but was killed after trying to slash officers.
The attacker arrived in Germany without his parents or any family and applied for asylum, joining nearly 1.5 million recent migrants to Germany from active war zones like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. The German government estimates 14,400 unaccompanied minors have arrived, and work actively to place these children in foster homes to accelerate their assimilation.
The attacker was reportedly placed in a foster home and was on his way to being granted asylum in Germany. His apparent self radicalization raises rightful concerns about Germany’s open door refugee policy. In January 2016, migrants seeking asylum were tied to dozens of sexual assaults in Cologne, Germany. The incident significantly sparked public opinion against migration to Germany. Germany’s open door refugee policy is also seen as a motivating factor behind the United Kingdom’s recent referendum to leave the European Union. Many U.K. citizens were concerned about being forced to resettle migrants into their communities.
The attack comes just four days after a radicalized French-Tunisian citizen mowed down 85 people in Nice, France. Europe and the United States have seen a slew of ISIS inspired and directed attacks in the last year. The recent attack raises important questions about the role of migrants from active Islamic war-zones in European society.
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