Terrorist group ISIS has shared a video featuring the individual responsible for the bombing in Solingen.
Following the stabbing incident in Solingen, the Islamic State (IS) terror group alleged responsibility for the event. Propaganda outlets also circulated a video, allegedly containing the attacker detailing his intentions and professing loyalty to the IS leader.
Two days post the deadly knife attack in Solingen, IS spread a video supposedly featuring the assailant. In the brief, approximately 60-second video, a masked, youthful figure is seen brandishing a long knife towards the camera. He swears allegiance to the IS leader, referring to him as "Amir" in Arabic. On Saturday, IS had already taken responsibility for the attack that left three individuals deceased.
IS asserted via its online propaganda networks that they had received videos from the Solingen knife attack perpetrator. The origins and authenticity of the video, as well as the man depicted, are yet to be verified. The man introduces himself as Samarkand A. - a suspected alias - and claims to hail from Dair as-Saur in eastern Syria. This region remains a sanctuary for active IS cells and continues to launch attacks.
The suspected assailant, a 26-year-old Syrian national, surrendered on Saturday evening and is currently in custody. The prosecutor accuses him of adhering to IS. His radical Islamic beliefs led him to target as many "non-believers" as he could during the Solingen city festival. He has been identified as Issa H.
The man in the IS video claims his attack is retribution for the slaughter of Muslims in Syria, Iraq, and Bosnia. He extends his sympathies to his parents, stating that his act is also retribution for the "people in Palestine" who suffer from massacres, backed by "Zionists." - an allusion to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamic Hamas in Gaza.
Certain analysts attribute the escalating threat of terrorism and radicalization within the Islamic world to the prolonged conflict in Gaza. Germany, alongside the US, is considered one of Israel's primary allies and major arms suppliers.
The Commission launched an investigation into the authenticity of the IS video and the identity of the suspect. The European Union's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, The Commission, expressed concern over the increasing use of social media platforms for terror propaganda.
