After knife attack in Würzburg: perpetrators spoke of "his contribution to jihad"

After the fatal knife attack in Würzburg, the investigations are in full swing. The suspicion of an Islamist background is hardening.

Update from Monday, June 28th, 2021, 6.45am : Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) has called the people who stood in the way of the knife attacker from Würzburg as “real heroes”. Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is considering a special honor for her, said Herrmann on Sunday at “Bild live”. The Minister of the Interior suggested the Bavarian Rescue Medal as a possible award. This is intended for “people who risk their own life to save other human lives”.

Herrmann said on “Bild live” that there was a lot to be said for an “Islamist-motivated act”. During the search of the 24-year-old’s accommodation, “some things were found that could point to Islamist propaganda material”. In addition, the perpetrator himself spoke of “his contribution to jihad”. But one now has to wait for further investigations, especially the evaluation of two of the man’s cell phones.

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After knife attack in Würzburg: mourning and horror – memorial ceremony in the cathedral

Update, 5.45 p.m.: The city of Würzburg held a memorial service for the victims of the knife attack on Friday. The event remains “incredibly senseless,” said Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) on Sunday at the event in Würzburg Cathedral. Würzburg’s Catholic Bishop Franz Jung thanked all helpers in need. “All of a sudden, we were reminded of how fragile our apparent normality is,” says Jung.

Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) emphasized: “It remains completely unbelievable”. As a devout Christian, he asked himself: “How could God allow that?” Söder also referred to how people would have behaved: Many would have helped regardless of their own lives – in addition to the rescue workers, citizens with and without a migration background. In all the horror this is a “very small ray of light”.

Würzburg: Söder and Mayor Schuchardt commemorate the victims of the knife attack

Update, 3:45 p.m.: The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and the Mayor of Würzburg Christian Schuchardt (CDU) commemorate the victims of the fatal knife attack in Würzburg. “It remains this incredible, this complete incomprehension why someone does something like that,” said Söder at a wreath-laying ceremony at the crime scene. “These are the moments in life when the rule of law, society and religion reach their absolute limits”. Friday was a bad day for Würzburg and Bavaria, Söder continued.

Söder and Schuchardt also spoke to relatives of the victims. Afterwards, both wanted to take part in a memorial ceremony in Würzburg’s Kilians Cathedral. Among others, Bavaria’s Landtag President Ilse Aigner (CSU), State Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) and the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, were expected.

Knife attack in Würzburg: trace evaluation and witness questioning are ongoing

Update, 11.15 a.m.: In Würzburg, the investigations are still in full swing. After the act of violence with three dead and seven injured, the police are currently still busy evaluating evidence and questioning witnesses. The aim is to reconstruct the exact course of the crime and to find out the attacker’s motive, said a police spokesman this morning. On the one hand, the investigators are investigating the suspicion that the 24-year-old Somali might be mentally ill. On the other hand, an extremist attitude could have been partly responsible for the man’s knife attack in the city center.

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The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office is leading the investigation in cooperation with the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office. For example, the officers are examining a cell phone that was discovered in the attacker’s homeless shelter in Würzburg. “The evaluations simply take, based on experience, several days,” said an investigator from the dpa. “All of this now has to be translated and evaluated.”

Knife attack in Würzburg: Police clarify details of victims

Update, 10.45 a.m.: After different information on the number and identity of the victims of the knife attack in Würzburg, the police specified their details on Sunday. Accordingly, three women died in a department store at the age of 24, 49 and 82 years. Previous information that one of the women worked in the shop as a saleswoman does not apply, said a police spokesman.

In addition, the Somali slightly injured a 57-year-old man in the business. According to the investigation, the perpetrator also attacked a 52-year-old woman in the shop. She was seriously injured, but her life is out of danger. On the street in front of the department store, police officers found an 11-year-old girl and a 16-year-old teenager – both with serious injuries. There was no longer any mortal danger to both of them on Sunday.

The perpetrator also slightly injured a 26-year-old woman – she was also found on the street. The man is said to have attacked another woman in a nearby bank. The 73-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries, but according to the police, her life is now out of danger.

The condition of a 39-year-old, whom the Somali also attacked, was stable on Sunday. She is no longer in a life-threatening condition, said the spokesman. It was initially unknown where the man attacked this woman. The bloody balance of the knife attack: three dead women, three critically injured women, a girl and a teenager in mortal danger, a slightly injured man and a slightly injured woman, according to the police.

Würzburg: memorial ceremony after the act of violence – cell phone evaluation is running

Update from Sunday, June 27th, 2021, 6.30 a.m.: After the knife attack in Würzburg, there will be a memorial service for the victims on Sunday afternoon in the city’s Kilians Cathedral. In addition to the Catholic Würzburg Bishop Franz Jung, representatives of other religions and the public also want to take part, as Lord Mayor Christian Schuchardt (CDU) announced. The President of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, the Protestant regional bishop Gisela Bornowski and representatives of the Muslim communities are expected at the celebration.

It has not yet been clarified why the 24-year-old perpetrator attacked people whom he obviously did not even know. The migrant may be mentally ill. The investigators are also examining to what extent Islamist attitudes may have contributed to the crime.

For example, the officers are currently evaluating a cell phone that was discovered in the attacker’s homeless shelter in Würzburg. “The evaluations simply take, based on experience, several days,” said an investigator from the German Press Agency. “All of this now has to be translated and evaluated.”

“Brutal murders”: Police give details of fatal knife attacks in Würzburg

+++ 4.00 p.m.: The investigative authorities also confirmed that material was seized during the search of a homeless shelter in Würzburg, where the 24-year-old had lived. On the one hand, a smartphone was found that is now to be evaluated. According to information from the police, however, this is “very difficult and very time-consuming” as translations of the text messages are necessary.

In addition, “hate messages” have been discovered on paper. Whether these are related to an Islamist motive has yet to be determined, it said.

+++ 3.40 p.m.: According to the authorities, the 24-year-old perpetrator was brought before an investigating judge on Saturday afternoon. The court has now issued an arrest warrant for murder in three cases, attempted murder in six cases and willful assault in one case.

The 24-year-old is now in a Bavarian penal institution, as the investigators explained.

+++ 3.20 p.m.: Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann announced new details about the fatal knife attack in Würzburg in the afternoon. Herrmann spoke of “brutal murders” – and directed his hopes to the injured in the hospitals, some of whom were “still fighting for their lives”.

Würzburg: Three women die from knife attack

The police investigations are in full swing, according to Herrmann. Above all, the 24-year-old’s motive needs to be clarified, an Islamist background is being checked. The Bamberg public prosecutor’s office and the Würzburg criminal police are involved in this examination. The Lower Franconian police chief spoke of the enormous importance of courageous intervention by citizens of Würzburg. This was the only way in which rapid access by the police was possible, according to Gerhard Kallert.

Kallert gave further details: For example, the three fatalities were women. One of them was a saleswoman at a department store in Würzburg. She had advised the 24-year-old in the household department about a knife that was later used as a weapon. All three women succumbed to their severe stab wounds on site. Then the perpetrator continued his “rampage”, as Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder described the event, on the street. In addition to people on the street, the man also attacked people in a savings bank.

According to the criminal police, the 24-year-old was a “lone perpetrator”. The evaluation of the video recordings was crucial, it said on Saturday afternoon.

+++ 2.25 p.m.: The federal government was also dismayed by the act on Saturday. “The investigation will reveal what drove the gunman in Würzburg,” wrote Chancellor Angela Merkel’s (CDU) spokesman, Steffen Seibert, on Twitter. “One thing is certain: His horrific act is directed against all humanity and every religion.”

Würzburg: Federal government speaks of rampage – and condemns “horrific act”

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) declared that he had “promised any support” to the Bavarian Interior Minister. The security forces would do everything to support a quick clarification of the background. Seehofer was “deeply shaken” by the fact. “From everything we know, it is thanks to the courageous intervention of courageous men and women in Würzburg and the determined action of the police that worse things were prevented,” he said. “This selfless commitment deserves the highest recognition.”

+++ 12.25 p.m.: According to the police, five people who were seriously injured on Friday are currently being treated in hospitals. Two of the injured are still in mortal danger. Two slightly injured people, however, have now been able to leave the clinics, according to the police.

+++ 12.00 p.m.: There are now new details about the perpetrator from Würzburg. After his arrest, the 24-year-old is said to have told the police that his “jihad” had now been implemented. This is reported by the news magazine Spiegel, citing internal information from the authorities. As previously announced, the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” shortly before his act.

Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann spoke on Friday evening that there were indications of an Islamist motive. The investigations are ongoing. On Saturday afternoon, the authorities want to turn to the public again and announce new details.

+++ 10.45 a.m.: At the crime scene in downtown Würzburg, citizens set up candles and laid down flowers on Saturday morning, as photos show.

The investigating authorities have announced a press conference for the afternoon, at which further details on the crime and how to proceed are expected.

Fatal knife attack in Würzburg: passers-by reacted courageously

+++ 10.30 a.m.: The day after the fatal knife attack in Würzburg, through which three people lost their lives, the reactions of politicians are increasing. In addition to expressions of condolences, the behavior of passers-by who bravely stood in the way of the 24-year-old perpetrator dominates. Thus, they apparently prevented the man from attacking other people. A police officer eventually shot the man in the thigh, which allowed him to be arrested.

Bavaria’s Interior Minister Herrmann emphasized how important the courage of the citizens of Würzburg was. Martin Hagen, FDP parliamentary group leader in the Bavarian state parliament, announced on Twitter: “Great respect to the courageous citizens who stood in the way of the perpetrator and prevented more people from being harmed.” Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder said also on Twitter (see update from 6.30 a.m.): “A big thank you and respect for the courageous intervention of many citizens who resolutely opposed the alleged attacker.”

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “shocked” by the knife attack. “The perpetrator acted with extreme brutality. For this inhuman act he is held accountable by the rule of law, ”he explained.

Würzburg: After the knife attack – Interior Minister Herrmann speaks of an Islamist motive

+++ 8.10 a.m.: Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann speaks of an Islamist motive in the fatal knife attack in Würzburg. According to the minister, the 24-year-old, who underwent psychological treatment around two weeks ago, shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the crime. There are therefore indications that the act was motivated by Islamism, said Herrmann late on Friday evening. Accordingly, the man had already attracted attention in the past few months due to his “willingness to use violence”. Numerous media report this unanimously.

The investigations by the authorities are ongoing. The 24-year-old attacker is in custody. The Lower Franconian police repeatedly called for restraint on Twitter. “Please do not share pictures or videos,” it said.

+++ Update from Saturday, June 26th, 2021, 6.30 a.m.: Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder * (CSU) commented on the knife attack in Würzburg via Twitter. “A big thank you and respect for the courageous intervention of many citizens who resolutely opposed the alleged attacker. And all rescue workers for their use on site, ”wrote Söder in the short message service.

On the morning after the terrible act in Würzburg, there is still uncertainty about the perpetrator’s motive. The police said they were on duty throughout the night with numerous forces to investigate the background to the attack. Both a mental illness of the perpetrator and an Islamist motive could have been reasons for the knife attack.

Knife attack in Würzburg: three people dead, two more in mortal danger

+++ 10.58 p.m.: In the knife attack in Würzburg, in addition to the three people killed, at least two other people attacked were critically injured. Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) said in the evening that it was not clear whether all of the seriously injured would survive.

A total of five people were seriously injured, and there were other injuries. “We must now hope and pray that the seriously injured survive,” he said. He did not provide any information about the identity of the victims.

Knife attack in Würzburg: dead, injured and the search for the motive

+++ 10.45 p.m.: Würzburg’s Lord Mayor Christian Schuchardt is impressed by the courageous citizens: inside who opposed the alleged perpetrator – with brooms and wooden chairs in their hands. He thinks it’s unbelievable, Schuchardt told the dpa news agency, that people acted so committed and endangered their own lives.

At times 140 men and women were on duty on Friday (25.06.2021) to care for the victims of the knife attack in downtown Würzburg. This is reported by the Mainpost and relies on statements made by the emergency services chief Uwe Kinstle. “We are still quite shocked ourselves,” said Kinstle to the Main Post in the evening. During the tour, he was on site with almost the same team as during the ax attack in the Heidingsfeld district of Würzburg almost exactly five years ago. “We then optimized our deployment plans specifically for situations like this in order to learn from experience,” said Kinstle. “Today we could draw from it.”

Police in Würzburg are looking for the motive for a knife attack

On July 18, 2016, a 17-year-old refugee from Afghanistan injured four people, some seriously, with a knife and an ax on a regional train. The police shot the man while trying to escape. The terrorist militia IS later claimed the crime for itself.

It is still unclear what motive the alleged perpetrator had who stabbed passers-by on Friday (June 25, 2021) in a department store, a bank and on the street in Würzburg. Three people were killed and five injured, some seriously, in the knife attack.

Blood deed in Würzburg: Interior Minister does not rule out Islamist attack

+++ 10:07 p.m.: In contrast to the police, Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann is currently not ruling out an Islamist attack. There are indications of this, said the CSU * politician of the dpa in Würzburg. As Herrmann reports, a witness said that the alleged perpetrator shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the crime.

The knife attack killed three people and injured five people on Friday (June 25, 2021) around 5 p.m. A 24-year-old man from Somalia was arrested after a police officer shot him in the thigh, according to Herrmann. The man is said to have previously found himself in psychiatric treatment.

Knife attack in Würzburg: Police ask witnesses for help

+++ 9:57 p.m.: The suspect of the knife attack in Würzburg is not known to the police for crimes that “point towards Islamism”. This is reported by the dpa news agency, which is based on the statement of a police spokesman. “Of course we have to collect all the knowledge that is available somewhere,” said the press spokesman. That will take some time.

The suspect gave brief information to the investigators, reports dpa. What the 24-year-old Somali man said is not known. According to Würzburg’s Lord Mayor Christian Schuchardt, the alleged perpetrator has been living in Germany for five years.

The Lower Franconia police asked witnesses for assistance and asked them to provide pictures and videos of the crime and the perpetrator under a link.

+++ 9:22 p.m.: According to the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, a little boy was injured in the knife attack in Würzburg. His father was probably killed, said the CSU politician, according to the dpa news agency, on Friday evening in Würzburg.

What the rescue workers from the scene of the crime reported to him was “terrible and hard to beat in terms of brutality,” said Herrmann when asked by journalists.

Knife attack in Würzburg: alleged perpetrators mainly attacked women

+++ 9:07 p.m.: As Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann continues, the alleged perpetrator mainly attacked women. Videos show that he was specifically looking for a specific person, according to Herrmann.

The interior minister told journalists that he was appalled by such a terrible act. This immediately brought back memories of the rampage five years ago on a regional train near Würzburg *. At that time, a 17-year-old had injured several people with an ax, some seriously. He then fled on foot, attacked a walker and was finally shot by the police inside.

Attack in Würzburg: alleged perpetrator is said to have stabbed with unbelievable brutality

+++ 9:01 p.m.: Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann confirmed according to media reports in the evening that the alleged perpetrator was in psychiatric treatment. He had been noticed in the past few months as ready to use violence and was known to the police. According to a testimony, the man is said to have stabbed with unbelievable brutality. The police are currently searching the man’s apartment, Herrmann explained.

The Bavarian Minister of the Interior also thanked the emergency services and the local people. He has great respect for the fact that Würzburgers stood in the man’s way.

Würzburg: The perpetrator was known to the police and was receiving psychiatric treatment

+++ 8.40 p.m.: According to information from the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, the alleged perpetrator is said to be mentally ill. He is said to have stabbed passers-by with a 40 centimeter knife. Several people had opposed the man, using chairs and poles to prevent him from attacking other passers-by. Several videos show how they pursue the alleged perpetrator and keep him in check until the police arrive.

+++ 8:25 p.m.: According to the police, the alleged perpetrator of the knife attack in Würzburg is a 24-year-old man from Somalia. He lives in Würzburg, said a police spokesman on Friday evening on site. According to the Tagesschau, a dispute between the alleged perpetrator and a woman was the trigger for the attack. Said woman is therefore also among the victims.

In addition, the police have now confirmed that there are three fatalities. Other people were “partly seriously injured”.

Würzburg: three dead after knife attack

+++ 8.20 p.m.: The dpa also reports three deaths after the knife attack in Würzburg. Accordingly, five other people were injured. “We have no evidence of other perpetrators,” said a police spokesman. The danger to the population is over. Initially, nothing was known about the possible motives of the arrested person. The police said they were alerted around 5 p.m.

+++ 8.15 p.m.: Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann has arrived at the crime scene in Würzburg. Eck speaks of a “smooth bullet” with which the alleged perpetrator was stopped. His life is not in danger. Meanwhile, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has commented on the drama in Würzburg. He wrote on Twitter: “Terrible and shocking news from Würzburg. We mourn with the victims and their families. We fear and hope with the injured. Thanks to the police for the quick intervention. “

Knife attack in Würzburg: passers-by wanted to stop suspected perpetrators

+++ 8:05 p.m.: Three people are said to have been killed in the knife attack in Würzburg on Barbarossaplatz, according to several media reports. At least six people were seriously injured. As Mainpost further reports, Bavaria’s Interior Secretary Gerhard Eck is said to have spoken of three fatalities and ten injured.

Videos shared on the internet show the alleged perpetrator. It can also be seen on it: Apparently, several passers-by tried to stop the man. Among other things, one of the videos shows how they throw objects at him and try to hit him. The police have not yet given any precise information about the arrested person. The police wrote on Twitter: “There is a lot of unhelpful speculation floating around. We will report on as soon as we have secure information. “

Update from Friday, June 25th, 2021, 7:53 p.m.: The police have confirmed that the attacker was overwhelmed by the use of firearms. Accordingly, the man was shot in the leg before he could be arrested and given medical attention. In addition, the police asked not to share or distribute any videos or pictures of the alleged perpetrator on the Internet. In the early evening, numerous videos were already circulating, on which the alleged perpetrator can also be seen.

Würzburg: stabber causes bloodbath – several dead

First report from Friday, June 25th, 2021, 7.30 p.m .: Würzburg – In the Würzburg city center, near Barbarossaplatz, several people were killed in a knife attack on late Friday afternoon (June 25th, 2021). This is announced by the German press agency, which relies on statements by the police. Other people were injured, it is said. An alleged perpetrator was overwhelmed and arrested.

There are no indications of other perpetrators, said a police spokesman who gave the all-clear for the people on site. Nothing is known about a possible motive of the arrested person.

How many fatalities and injuries there are is still unclear. The police ask not to share or distribute any videos or pictures of the alleged perpetrator on the Internet. The privacy of the victims should be respected.

Knife attack in Würzburg: the background is still unclear

According to media reports, the man had started attacking pedestrians in the city center with a knife around 5 p.m.

At the beginning of January this year, four people were injured, three of them seriously, in a knife attack in the Bahnhofsviertel in Frankfurt *. (uf / nc / tu / dil with dpa / AFP) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

List of rubric lists: © Daniel Karmann / dpa