German officials this week filed charges against a Syrian migrant who critically injured a Spanish tourist during a knife attack at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial in February.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in its indictment that this location was deliberately chosen because of the individual’s “radical Islamist and antisemitic views.” It adds that he sent photos of himself to members of Islamic State just before the attack, “giving the organisation the opportunity to claim responsibility.”
The migrant, identified only as ‘Wassim Al M,’ intended to attack “supposed non-believers, whom he viewed as representatives of the Western form of society he rejected.” Reports also cite officials who say he was “seeking to kill Jews in the attack.”
The attack took place just two days before Germany’s latest federal election. Speaking in front of the Holocaust Memorial just the day after, europeanconservative.com’s Zsófia Tóth-Bíró pointed to fears that it was merely “the latest incident of the recent wave of Islamist attacks in the country which is shaping up to be a major issue for voters,” adding:
Voters increasingly feel that the rising crime is undeniably connected to mass migration.
The anti-migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party soon after became the country’s most popular political force.
Wassim has been formally charged with attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm, and attempted membership of a foreign terrorist organisation. He remains in pre-trial detention.
