More lone wolf terror attacks likely in Germany: Minister
The German Interior minister has warned that the European country is likely to face more terror attacks similar to a recent lone wolf assault claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.
Thomas de Maiziere issued the warning on Wednesday two days after a teenage asylum seeker went on an axe rampage on a train in the southern German city of Wuerzburg, injuring five people.
Despite recently-introduced security measures, Germany should brace itself for further attacks, De Maiziere told reporters in Berlin.
"Like several EU countries, like the whole EU, Germany is also in the target area of international terrorism... the situation is serious," he said.
The minister noted that investigations almost always proved false the alleged link between refugees and terrorism, but there are still tips being looked into.
"You cannot say there is no connection between refugees and terrorism, but the danger was high before and remains high, regardless of questions about refugees," he added.
On Monday night, a 17-year-old asylum seeker armed with an axe and a knife attacked the Wuerzburg train passengers, severely wounding four people from Hong Kong and injuring a woman while fleeing the scene.
Amaq, a news outlet affiliated to Daesh, said in a statement that the person behind the assault was a member of the terror group.
"The perpetrator of the stabbing attack in Germany… carried out the operation in answer to the calls to target the countries of the [US-led] coalition” allegedly fighting Daesh, the statement read.
The assailant, who was shot dead by police, was initially thought to be Afghan, but the German interior minister said that there were indications he was from Pakistan.
Elsewhere in his remarks, De Maiziere noted that probes so far pointed to the train attacker being a lone wolf, who had been spurred into action by Daesh. Police has found a hand-painted Daesh flag in the assailant's room.
Germany has not experienced the deadly attacks that France and Belgium have, but it has witnessed a string of sexual assaults and robberies on New Year's Eve in Cologne. Prosecutors say the assaults were committed largely by foreigners.
Germany, one of the most popular destinations for refugees, registered about 1.1 million of them in 2015.
The country has recently seen the rise of far-right groups opposing the entry of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.
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