ISIS recently called for the type of attack that just happened in Berlin
(Security and police officers seen near the damaged truck after it plowed through a Christmas market on Monday night in Berlin.Getty/Sean Gallup)
A truck drove into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday night, killing 12 people and wounding dozens more in what German Chancellor Angela Merkel called "a cruel attack."
"The truck was deliberately driven into the people who wanted to spend a peaceful and happy evening," Germany's interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, told reporters on Tuesday.
German investigators are treating the incident as an act of terrorism. The White House on Monday called it a terrorist attack, and Merkel said German authorities were investigating under the assumption that terrorism was involved.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the Monday-night carnage. The German police have one suspect in custody, but it is unclear whether he was the truck driver.
Terrorist groups have long been urging supporters to attack "infidels" with cars, however. Vehicles were used in attacks at Ohio State University in the US late last month and in Nice, France, in July.
In November, an Ohio State student drove into a group of pedestrians on campus before stabbing people with a butcher knife. Eleven people were sent to the hospital with injuries. A campus police officer killed the attacker at the scene.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, and supporters of the group were spreading information about it through online channels shortly after it happened. The attacker, 18-year-old Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a US resident from Somalia, was thought by authorities to have cited the late Al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki on Facebook.
While it's still unclear whether any one group inspired the Ohio State attack, terrorism analysts were quick to note that it closely mirrored recent ISIS propaganda.
In the past two months, English-language ISIS propaganda magazines have called for vehicle and knife attacks on Western targets. The November issue of Rumiyah, for example — a new magazine from the terrorist group aimed at English-language speakers — included an article titled "Just Terror Tactics" that outlined ideal vehicles to use in terror attacks.
"Though being an essential part of modern life, very few actually comprehend the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle and its capacity of reaping large numbers of casualties if used in a premeditated manner," the article said.
The article also cited the attack in Nice in July, in which a man who authorities said was an ISIS supporter killed 86 people by plowing into a crowd with a truck on Bastille Day.
"Vehicles are like knives, as they are extremely easy to acquire," the article said.
Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, the ISIS spokesman who was killed in August, had also called for these types of attacks.
"If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies," he said in 2014. "Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him."
Al Qaeda has also put out global calls to attack Westerners with cars.
In the second issue of its English-language magazine Inspire, the terrorist group referred to pickup trucks as "the ultimate mowing machine."
"The idea is to use a pickup truck as a mowing machine, not to mow grass but mow down the enemies of Allah," the magazine article says.
(Police officers and emergency workers next to the truck on Monday night.Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)
ISIS, in particular, has increasingly been relying on external attacks as it has been losing territory in the Middle East, where its self-declared caliphate lies.
When the terrorist group first rampaged across Iraq and Syria claiming territory, it encouraged supporters to travel to territory under its control, but recent ISIS rhetoric has shifted to focus on encouraging people to mount attacks in their home countries.
Sometimes these attacks are directed by ISIS leadership, but sometimes they are carried out by lone actors who don't have any significant contact with ISIS members.
ISIS is likely to claim a role in the Berlin attack only if it is publicly confirmed that the truck driver had an ISIS allegiance, said Rita Katz, the director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist organizations.
The German police took a suspect into custody Monday night in connection with the Berlin attack, and reports circulated that he was a 23-year-old from Pakistan who had sought asylum in Germany in early 2016. He was known to the German police because of petty crimes but did not have any known links to terrorism.
The police subsequently said they were unsure whether they believed the suspect in custody was the driver of the truck.
"We have the wrong man," a high-ranking police official told Welt.de. "And thus a new situation. As the real culprit is still armed at large and can cause new damage."
(Security and police officers seen near the damaged truck after it plowed through a Christmas market on Monday night in Berlin.Getty/Sean Gallup)
A truck drove into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday night, killing 12 people and wounding dozens more in what German Chancellor Angela Merkel called "a cruel attack."
"The truck was deliberately driven into the people who wanted to spend a peaceful and happy evening," Germany's interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, told reporters on Tuesday.
German investigators are treating the incident as an act of terrorism. The White House on Monday called it a terrorist attack, and Merkel said German authorities were investigating under the assumption that terrorism was involved.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the Monday-night carnage. The German police have one suspect in custody, but it is unclear whether he was the truck driver.
Terrorist groups have long been urging supporters to attack "infidels" with cars, however. Vehicles were used in attacks at Ohio State University in the US late last month and in Nice, France, in July.
In November, an Ohio State student drove into a group of pedestrians on campus before stabbing people with a butcher knife. Eleven people were sent to the hospital with injuries. A campus police officer killed the attacker at the scene.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, and supporters of the group were spreading information about it through online channels shortly after it happened. The attacker, 18-year-old Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a US resident from Somalia, was thought by authorities to have cited the late Al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki on Facebook.
While it's still unclear whether any one group inspired the Ohio State attack, terrorism analysts were quick to note that it closely mirrored recent ISIS propaganda.
In the past two months, English-language ISIS propaganda magazines have called for vehicle and knife attacks on Western targets. The November issue of Rumiyah, for example — a new magazine from the terrorist group aimed at English-language speakers — included an article titled "Just Terror Tactics" that outlined ideal vehicles to use in terror attacks.
"Though being an essential part of modern life, very few actually comprehend the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle and its capacity of reaping large numbers of casualties if used in a premeditated manner," the article said.
The article also cited the attack in Nice in July, in which a man who authorities said was an ISIS supporter killed 86 people by plowing into a crowd with a truck on Bastille Day.
"Vehicles are like knives, as they are extremely easy to acquire," the article said.
Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, the ISIS spokesman who was killed in August, had also called for these types of attacks.
"If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies," he said in 2014. "Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him."
Al Qaeda has also put out global calls to attack Westerners with cars.
In the second issue of its English-language magazine Inspire, the terrorist group referred to pickup trucks as "the ultimate mowing machine."
"The idea is to use a pickup truck as a mowing machine, not to mow grass but mow down the enemies of Allah," the magazine article says.
(Police officers and emergency workers next to the truck on Monday night.Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)
ISIS, in particular, has increasingly been relying on external attacks as it has been losing territory in the Middle East, where its self-declared caliphate lies.
When the terrorist group first rampaged across Iraq and Syria claiming territory, it encouraged supporters to travel to territory under its control, but recent ISIS rhetoric has shifted to focus on encouraging people to mount attacks in their home countries.
Sometimes these attacks are directed by ISIS leadership, but sometimes they are carried out by lone actors who don't have any significant contact with ISIS members.
ISIS is likely to claim a role in the Berlin attack only if it is publicly confirmed that the truck driver had an ISIS allegiance, said Rita Katz, the director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist organizations.
The German police took a suspect into custody Monday night in connection with the Berlin attack, and reports circulated that he was a 23-year-old from Pakistan who had sought asylum in Germany in early 2016. He was known to the German police because of petty crimes but did not have any known links to terrorism.
The police subsequently said they were unsure whether they believed the suspect in custody was the driver of the truck.
"We have the wrong man," a high-ranking police official told Welt.de. "And thus a new situation. As the real culprit is still armed at large and can cause new damage."
Today at 5:11 pm by Rocky
» Sudanese advisor criticizes Kuwaiti analyzes regarding the development road project
Today at 2:21 pm by Rocky
» Al-Mandalawi stresses the need to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between Iraq and Poland
Today at 2:04 pm by Rocky
» Power maneuvers: America provides defensive weapons to Kurdistan in exchange for withholding from Ba
Today at 10:26 am by Rocky
» Kuwait is drilling an oil well near Umm Qasr, towards Iraqi territory
Today at 10:24 am by Rocky
» In the document... the first Iraqi ministry identifies the obstacles to changing the new official wo
Today at 10:22 am by Rocky
» Italian Institute: Iraq is stuck in its own crises, including Baghdad’s efforts to undermine the “au
Today at 10:21 am by Rocky
» The head of the Integrity Commission announces the holding of an international Interpol conference i
Today at 10:18 am by Rocky
» Planning: Iraqi companies are not efficient in conducting the population census
Today at 10:14 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/24/24 Support - USA- Turkey - Timing- Currency Value - Tabled
Today at 8:08 am by Rocky
» MM&C 4/25/24 National Bank of Iraq goes live with Temenos core banking and payments
Today at 8:06 am by Rocky
» A banking official indicates a "danger" to Iraq by depriving more than half of its banks of dollars
Today at 7:55 am by Rocky
» With the participation of the Association of Private Banks, investment opportunities are on the tabl
Today at 7:45 am by Rocky
» Within a month... an Iranian border crossing recorded a noticeable increase in exports of goods to I
Today at 7:44 am by Rocky
» The Association of Private Banks appreciates the efforts of the government and the Central Bank to c
Today at 7:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki's coalition presents a third candidate for the position of governor of Diyala
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Arab gathering: The Kirkuk problem is getting complicated and the Sudanese must intervene
Today at 6:56 am by Rocky
» Next week.. a Kurdish delegation will visit Baghdad to meet with the Minister of Finance
Today at 6:54 am by Rocky
» Under the pretext of salaries... Al-Party refrains from handing over port revenues to Baghdad
Today at 6:53 am by Rocky
» Association of Banks: For the first time, we are witnessing a clear targeting of depriving half of t
Today at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Parliament does not know the reason for the delay in sending the 2024 budget schedules: Voting takes
Today at 6:49 am by Rocky
» Applicants for the 2024 Hajj are demanding that the Central Bank secure the dollar for them through
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Governmental and private banks will showcase their services tomorrow during Financial Inclusion Week
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Iraq's oil exports rise despite OPEC+ cuts
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» A study explodes a "surprise"... Iraq is among the countries that export oil to "Israel": How is the
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Al-Araji emphasizes working to strengthen national identity
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani visits Saudi Arabia to participate in the World Economic Forum in Riyadh
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Iraq is talking about producing one million additional liters of gasoline
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers approves the implementation of the Baghdad Metro project
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Minister of Commerce: We formed a joint economic committee with Türkiye
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Resources: Government measures have contributed to improving the water situation in Iraq
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: Baghdad will continue to send salaries to the region’s employees until settle
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» A parliamentarian describes the corruption of Iraqi ports as “ghouls” and reveals the involvement of
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Obelisk Hour: Basra is the subject of political conflict and ambiguity over the fate of the funds al
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Turkmen leader: An agreement on the local government of Kirkuk is near
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Anbar calls for the operation of its factories despite financial obstacles
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Turki: The crisis of the Presidency of Parliament prompted the Sunnis to amend the Council’s interna
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» The Agriculture Committee confirms the existence of Iraqi-Turkish-Iranian discussions on water
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Resources diagnose the challenges facing the water file in Iraq
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Parliament pledges to the Interior Ministry: We will transfer money to buy weapons from citizens
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Al-Issawi is the closest.. Parliament sets the date for deciding the choice of the new president
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Deputy: Iraq's investments have risen and need a comprehensive review of previous years
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Iraqis consume 7 billion eggs annually and import about $900 million
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» The Iranian role complicates attempts at open cooperation between Iraq and Turkey. Turkey is trying
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Move in Iran to obtain $242 billion from Iraq in compensation for the eight-year war
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» 12 decisions from the Council of Ministers regarding the Baghdad Metro and Najaf-Karbala train proje
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Sudanese Advisor: The path to development has begun... the Baka and the militias “we silence them wi
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» Not from Kurdistan.. How did Iraq become a source of oil for “Israeli tanks”?
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Agriculture criticizes the Sudanese and Erdogan agreement: Türkiye will control water
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi government issues new decisions
Yesterday at 2:35 pm by Rocky
» The story of “reduced oil” to Jordan, from “compulsion” to mutual benefit.. Is there a loss?
Yesterday at 2:33 pm by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers takes 12 decisions for the Baghdad Metro and the Najaf-Karbala train
Yesterday at 2:32 pm by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/23/24 Iraqi Dinar - IQD Update - Development Road Project - Saviour of Global Banking
Yesterday at 10:18 am by Rocky
» Kidney from pig transplanted into deathly ill New Jersey woman — and begins working almost immediat
Yesterday at 10:15 am by Bama Diva
» The most difficult option.. Warnings of the danger of floating the Iraqi dinar without achieving an
Yesterday at 9:48 am by Rocky
» Trade from the “Economic Committee” with Türkiye: It will overcome all obstacles facing the traders
Yesterday at 9:46 am by Rocky
» Washington's hope for stable relations with Baghdad clashes with Iraqi parties' rejection of the Ame
Yesterday at 9:41 am by Rocky
» Karim Badr: Development is America’s will to kill silk
Yesterday at 9:36 am by Rocky
» Oil: Opening of a new port for liquid gas for vehicles in Baghdad
Yesterday at 9:33 am by Rocky
» A media advisor warns of corruption in a draft law on the Parliament’s agenda
Yesterday at 9:21 am by Rocky
» Economist: There is serious work to lift US sanctions on Iraqi banks
Yesterday at 9:16 am by Rocky
» Will the agreements signed with the US Treasury reflect positively on the exchange rates?
Yesterday at 7:52 am by Rocky
» Iraq continues its quest to join the World Trade Organization
Yesterday at 7:51 am by Rocky
» Iraq completes the completion of the files for the initial offer of goods and services to join the W
Yesterday at 7:50 am by Rocky
» Economist: Travelers' dollars are leaking into the parallel market...and this is what the Central Ba
Yesterday at 7:32 am by Rocky
» President of the Federal Court: It is not permissible to force anyone to join any party, and the pol
Yesterday at 7:30 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers holds its session headed by Al-Sudani
Yesterday at 7:27 am by Rocky
» America weakens Baghdad...and increases Kurdistan's military capabilities
Yesterday at 7:26 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi government plans to build 10,000 schools throughout the country
Yesterday at 7:23 am by Rocky
» American threats close the Iraqi Stock Exchange at a loss
Yesterday at 7:21 am by Rocky
» Increase in external transfers at the Central Bank
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki calls on Britain to cancel restrictions on the entry of its companies into Iraq
Yesterday at 7:18 am by Rocky
» Planning and the European Union are discussing signing a number of agreements in the development, en
Yesterday at 7:16 am by Rocky
» Parliament talks about the mechanism for recovering smuggled funds and hints at the next stage
Yesterday at 7:13 am by Rocky
» Interior Ministry: The number of completed national cards reached 37 million cards
Yesterday at 7:06 am by Rocky
» Amnesty International: Violations of freedom and human rights continue in Iraq and the Kurdistan Reg
Yesterday at 7:04 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Oil: The government is proceeding with the decision to raise the price of improved gas
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary committee in Basra to investigate violations of the port company and the local gover
Yesterday at 7:00 am by Rocky
» Revealing the 10 most important American exports to Iraq
Yesterday at 5:31 am by Rocky
» A noticeable increase in the rate of Iraq's import of Chinese cooling devices
Yesterday at 5:30 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: Working on projects without completing the infrastructure is a waste of money
Yesterday at 5:28 am by Rocky
» Iraq.. Extending the deadline for registration procedures on plots of land
Yesterday at 5:27 am by Rocky
» What is the main purpose of conducting the population census in Iraq?
Yesterday at 5:25 am by Rocky
» A plan to transform Iraq from a barren land to green with 5 million trees
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» The Housing Fund announces the acceptance of more than 11 thousand loans through the Ur platform
Yesterday at 5:23 am by Rocky
» The Bank of Baghdad is moving to increase its capital to 400 billion dinars
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» The electronic payment system will soon be adopted on Iraqi buses
Yesterday at 5:19 am by Rocky
» “It threatens our interests and destroys our economy.” An Iraqi project “irritates” the Kuwaiti stre
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Warning from the Central Bank about “misuse of electronic payment cards”
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman are discussing sending capacities through the Gulf countries
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» The fact that a decision was issued to deport Syrian workers from Iraq
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» Rice comes first... America exports 10 foodstuffs worth more than 350 million dollars to Iraq
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» A sixth licensing round for gas exploration
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Baghdad is preparing to host the 50th session of the Arab Labor Conference
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Scientific symposium on the future vision of the tripartite budget
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Five conversion power stations enter service in Najaf
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Planning: Conduct a population census next November
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Experts: Spreading misleading information harms development and investment
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Economists call for tightening money laundering laws and port controls
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky