Dresden Police: Possible Xenophobic Motive in Bomb Attack on Mosque

Hours after the explosion of two homemade bombs in Dresden, eastern Germany, one of which targeted a mosque, the city's police reported the possibility of a xenophobic motive behind these explosions. According to Reuters, on Monday night, October 5, two homemade bombs exploded, one at a mosque and the other at the city's international conference center. The police stated on Tuesday that these explosions did not leave any injuries or casualties. Meanwhile, the head of the Dresden police stated in a statement on Tuesday: 'Although no one has claimed responsibility for [these explosions] so far, we must proceed on the basis that their motive was xenophobic.' This official also noted that these explosions are likely related to the upcoming celebrations marking the reunification of Germany over the weekend. East and West Germany reunited on October 3, 1990, after years of division. At that time, Dresden was part of East Germany, neighboring the Czech Republic. As reported by Reuters, at the time of the first explosion, the imam of the Dresden mosque was present in the building with his family, but none of the family members were harmed. Following these explosions, police forces were dispatched to protect other mosques in the city of Dresden. Dresden has been in the news for at least the past two years as the birthplace of the 'Pegida' movement, which has raised the banner against Islam and Muslims from the very beginning, attracting thousands to its rallies at the height of its popularity in early 2015. Since last year, as a wave of illegal migrants, particularly from Syria, has surged into Europe, with Germany receiving the highest number of them, analysts have noted that social tensions in Germany have escalated, dividing people into pro and anti-immigration factions. In this context, several refugee shelters and camps, especially in eastern Germany, have been attacked by right-wing and neo-Nazi groups.