Islamic State Group: The Teenager Who Attacked Train Passengers in Germany Was One of Our Soldiers

The Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack by a 17-year-old Afghan migrant on train passengers in Germany. ISIS stated that the Afghan teenager was one of their 'soldiers.' On Tuesday, July 20, the group wrote on its Amaq news site that the teenager's actions were a response to their call for attacks on citizens of countries in the international coalition against ISIS. However, Joachim Herrmann, the Interior Minister of Bavaria, stated in a press conference in Munich that there is still no definitive evidence linking the Afghan teenager to the Islamic State group. Mr. Herrmann mentioned on ZDF television that a flag of the Islamic State was discovered at the teenager's residence. According to him, this flag, which appears to have been made by the Afghan attacker himself, along with text written in Pashto, Latin, and Arabic, strengthens the possibility that the young man radicalized without direct contact with the Islamic State. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a German newspaper, also noted that this claim by the Islamic State should be investigated, as the group made similar claims regarding the recent terrorist attack in Nice, France. The newspaper suggested that ISIS might be looking to exploit these two incidents for their benefit. The 17-year-old Afghan, who entered Germany alone as a refugee over a year ago, attacked passengers with an axe and knife near the city of Würzburg in Bavaria on Monday night, injuring several people. Four of the injured were members of a Chinese family from Hong Kong, with at least two in critical condition. Although the attacker managed to flee the train, he was pursued by members of a mobile police unit who happened to be in the area and was shot dead. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Germany's security agency) in Bavaria announced that in recent months, extremist Islamist groups have made significant efforts to approach young refugees living in various parts of the state. According to this agency, these groups have established contact with young people through social services, especially by providing clothing, and then attempt to recruit members from among them. In 2015, over 14,000 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in Germany, with more than 32% being Afghan and about 28% Syrian.