Ansbach: Syrian Asylum-Seeker Turned Suicide Bomber Detonates Himself In Germany, 12 People Injured


Update: The suicide bomber has been identified as an asylum seeker from Syria. He was the only person who died. Officials say he detonated a backpack containing explosives after being refused entry into a bar.

Hours after we reported about a machete attack in Germany that left one woman dead, we have reports of another attack in the country. In the newest incident, an explosion has been reported from the city of Ansbach which has resulted in the death of one person. At least 10 others have been injured in the blast. Initial reports say that the blast happened in a bar where a lot of people had gathered for a musical event. There are several reports saying that this attack involved a suicide bomber and that the dead person was the suicide bomber himself. Details are, however, sketchy at this point.

A New York Times report said that the blast occurred near the venue of an open-air music festival. The mayor of the city of Ansbach, located in southern Germany has said that an explosive device was detonated at the bar. He also added that the entire area was cordoned off and that surrounding areas have been placed on lockdown. The music festival too has been canceled.

The explosion happened at around 10:00 p.m., local time near a bar known as the Eugens Weinstube (Eugene’s Winebar.) A BBC News report added that Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann was on his way to assess the situation. Sources from the German Interior Ministry now say that the explosion, at least from initial investigations was intentional. This is in contradiction to earlier reports that said that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. Emergency workers reached the spot where the blast happened and were seen tending to victims. A local witness confirmed that a townhouse located near the site of the blast is being used by emergency workers and investigators as an operations center. Emergency vehicles were also seen crowding the center of the city, located very close to the place where the blast happened.

This incident of terror is the latest in a string of attacks perpetrated across Germany over the course of the past week. On July 18, a 17-year-old teenager of Afghan origin carried out an attack inside a train near Würzburg. The attack left four people seriously injured. Two others were hospitalized in a critical condition. This attack happened at around 21:00 hours local time when the train was traveling between Treuchtlingen and Würzburg. There were more than 20 people inside the coach at the time of the attack. Following the incident, the attacker tried to flee. He was, however, shot dead by Special Deployment Commandos who say the man tried to attack them when he was confronted. The teenager is also reported to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” at the time of the attack following which senior German officials suspected it to be an Islamist attack. Following investigations, the teen was found to be an Afghan asylum seeker who had arrived in Germany and was living with a foster family in Ochsenfurt, south of Würzburg, a few months before he carried out the attack.

The second incident took place in the city of Munich where a German-Iranian teenager shot and killed nine people near a busy shopping mall on Friday. Most of the victims in this attack were teenagers, many of whom were reportedly lured into a McDonald’s restaurant after the gunman promised them free burgers. While initial speculations pointed towards an Islamic terror connection, authorities later said that the gunman acted alone and that the teenager was “obsessed with mass killings.” Investigators later found that the gunman had allegedly hacked into a Facebook profile which was then used to lure his victims. He was also found to have researched a lot about other mass shooting incidents across the world. The incident also happened on the fifth anniversary of the 2011 Norway attacks carried out by Anders Behring Breivik which left more than 79 people dead.

(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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