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THE BERLIN ATTACK sends a jarring, uncomfortable message across Europe in the run-up to Christmas. Such an attack on a Christmas market was predicted by the international intelligence community. In November, the US State Department warned US citizens that it had credible indications that an attack on a European target was imminent.
Germany has suffered a number of high-profile terror attacks and mass killings over the last year or so. In September of 2015, Berlin police shot dead an Islamist who attacked a female police officer with a knife. In February of this year, a 15-year-old girl – inspired by Islamic State propaganda – stabbed and seriously injured a policeman in Hannover. In May, near Munich, a German national shouting ‘Allah Akbar’ stabbed and slashed commuters – killing one and injuring several at a railway station in Grafing.
July saw a spate of attacks including an axe and knife attack on commuters on a train near Wurzburg. The assailant was a teenage Afghan asylum seeker who was shot dead by German police. Also in July, German-Iranian teenager Ali David Sonboly murdered nine people including children in a mass shooting at a McDonald’s restaurant in Munich. Two days later, a 27-year-old Syrian refugee blew himself up in Ansbach in a suicide bombing that injured over a dozen bystanders.
There were other incidents involving asylum seekers and refugees also. In Reutlungen, a 21-year-old Syrian man stabbed a 37-year-old pregnant Polish woman to death.
The pattern of lone wolf attacks
Unlike the Charlie Hebdo attack and the Paris attacks of January and November 2015, none of the German incidents appear to have been carried out by terror ‘cells’. Rather they have been characterised as ‘lone wolf’ attacks and appear to be a toxic mix of sometimes unrelated hate crimes. Unlike the Brussels attacks of March this year, groups like Islamic State have not claimed credit for all of the lone wolf attacks that have been characterised as terrorist attacks in France and Germany.
Such attacks include the execution of Fr Jaques Hamel in St Etienne du-Rouvray in July, along with the killing of a police officer and his wife near Paris in June. Similar hate crimes in the US have been exploited by Islamic State in order to harness as much anger and fear as possible in order to further their terrorist aims. The Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando in June of this year was a hate crime directed at the LGBT community. The perpetrator, Omar Mateen mobilised the rhetoric of groups such as Islamic State in order to give some sort of twisted legitimacy to his horrific attack. For its part, Islamic State was happy to claim him as one of their jihadis as his actions represented an attack on the western values of tolerance, equality and diversity – concepts that are anathema to Islamist bigots.
The assault on the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz on Monday night bears a shocking resemblance to the Nice attack on Bastille Day which killed 86 men, women and children on the Promenade des Anglais. In the Nice attack, the perpetrator, Tunisian-born Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a heavy rigid truck onto the wide beachfront pedestrian area, weaving as he drove to inflict the maximum number of casualties. The Nice attack was halted by ordinary street cops using small side-arms and pistols in a desperate attempt to stop the truck and apprehend the driver. Despite France’s state of high alert, there were no specialist anti-terror units involved in the disruption of the Nice attack.
The complex causes of these lone wolf attacks
Many questions remain about the attack in Berlin. At time of writing, the perpetrator has not yet been identified or apprehended. The attack has some subtle differences to that of the Nice incident. To begin with, the truck appears to have been hijacked or stolen in the hours before the attack with the 37-year-old Polish driver, Lukasz Urban, stabbed and shot to death. It is likely that the perpetrator drove the articulated truck to the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market with a corpse in the cab. This sequence of events reveals some level of planning and reconnaissance – knowing where to hijack an articulated truck, knowing how to drive it and knowing where to drive it. The attack, it would seem, also involved the use of a firearm.
The level of violence and intent evident in this week’s attack bodes ill for the possibility of future attacks in Germany and elsewhere throughout Europe.
The increasing pattern of so-called ‘lone wolf’ attacks in Europe may have complex causes. Some are simply hate-crimes – the actions of inadequate, angry men craving the status of ‘Jihadist’ or ‘Mujahideen’ to mask sexual jealousy, rage, misogyny, racism – who knows? Whatever the causes, groups like Islamic State are keen to see more and more such attacks. As Islamic State loses its territorial integrity in Syria and Iraq, its propaganda wing is encouraging such attacks across Europe and the United States. Amaq, the News Agency of Islamic State, has been encouraging returning jihadis and any angry or disaffected young men across the EU to launch lone wolf attacks on the European mainland.
Amaq incites the killing of ‘kuffars’ or non-believers across continental Europe, the United States and Russia – referred to as ‘Dar-al-Kuffar’ by Islamic State. Specifically, the magazine of Islamic State – Dabiq, most recently re-branded as Al Rumiyah – urges jihadis to drive trucks and cars at ‘kuffars’ and their families. IS also gives advice on the type of vehicles to be used in such attacks pointing out that double-wheeled vehicles are more effective at crushing the heads, limbs and torsos of non-believers.
The real tragedy
As Russian and US-backed forces close on Raqqa in the coming months, it is believed that the centre of gravity of Islamic State and other Islamist groups such as Al Nusra and Al Qaeda may shift to Libya and North Africa. It is also believed that having been denied their battleground in Syria and Iraq, such terrorist groups will re-focus their attention on increasing terror attacks in Europe. 2017 is likely to see a continuation and rise in such horrific terror attacks in Europe.
The tragedy in all of this is the plight of the millions of Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi refugees who have been the principal victims of Islamist groups such as Islamic State. Stateless, powerless and often homeless – they are now the focus of much hostile scrutiny in Europe and elsewhere by an emerging far-right dynamic that seizes on the actions of atypical lone wolf attackers to spread xenophobic messages about ethnic groups in general and Muslims in particular.
Ironically, this is also the aim of Islamic State – to foment civil strife and racism in Europe, to provoke conflict and a clash of cultures that would give momentum to their so-called global jihad.
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These savages are only getting warmed up. They will sooner or later get their hands on high grade explosives and it will a whole different ball game. The open door policy is going to crush Europe.
No complex causes, these people are ffing mental so keep them out of Ireland simple
But who’s going to be the first to release the yard dogs and fight fire with fire.
The tragedy in this is the innocent Europeans who will be murdered due to Europe’s insane immigration policies!
Interesting take: the symptoms are the issue not the decease
Yes so right but before we can stop this skum a lot more will die.
Merkel policy
@Boganity: complete disregard for the those who bury their dead in Berlin tonight. Funny how little focus on the 12 who died
No shìt, Sherlock.
Ditto, you got there before me. No shit Dr. Sherlock.
Now please now tell us which government/EU policies should be amended for future harm reduction. Or is that outside your field of expertise?
The problem is this. Look at the problem and the problem is there. Let’s discuss the problem. Can you see the problem from all sides now? The problem will grow without solutions. That is another problem. I don’t have solutions but the problem of not having solutions is not the problem at hand. That’s someone else’s problem. Every solution will have potential new problems but we like this problem now. It is a juicy fat problem. Let’s not deal with this problem first before we get ahead of ourselves and try to see the new problems that action or inaction on this problem may precipitate.
Deceit masked by bureaucracy. The modus operandi of this post-truth neo-liberal establishment.
The Alt-Right invented post truth not the liberals
Solutions. Now there’s a Utopian ideal! People who offer actual solutions are dangerous and should be avoided. They are usually “free thinkers” and may have “notions” that scare us. We have words for these people. They are called fascists. What they propose is too radical. They suggest things like undoing the Laws that allowed problems to get so big. They propose looking at the most effective ways of disentangling the mess that was created. They want to apportion blame to the correct institutions. They want to stop the leak in their pipe before waiting for a fix for whole water infrastructure. How dangerous?
Who told you that? Was it RTÉ or one of Dennis O’Brien’s rags?
That’s some sh!t you’re smoking today Hugh.
Ah now. I’m like this all the time.
@Boganity:
Perhaps you might look at the origins of “post truth” with a more impartial mindset.
Anyone entering Europe should be forced to swear an oath of allegiance on the Bible.
@Alex Falcone: chuckling. Yeah, that would really scare off intending
@Alex Falcone: Anyone moving to Europe should have skills our labour market lacks and undergo a stringent background check. Otherwise, no room at the inn.
The open border madness must cease.
@Alex Falcone your an anti-Semitic then ?
@Boganity:
Obviously you’ve never read the Old Testament.
This is an encouraging sign. We can only Trump plays along with it. You cannot fund and train Jihadist head hackers on the one hand and simultaneously hope to protect innocent civilians in Europe from those same terrorists.
“Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Bill to Stop US Government Funding and Arming Jihadist Terrorists in Syria
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said, “Under U.S. law it is illegal for any American to provide money or assistance to al-Qaeda, ISIS or other terrorist groups. If you or I gave money, weapons or support to al-Qaeda or ISIS, we would be thrown in jail. Yet the U.S. government has been violating this law for years, quietly supporting allies and partners of al-Qaeda, ISIL, Jabhat Fateh al Sham and other terrorist groups with money, weapons, and intelligence support, in their fight to overthrow the Syrian government.[i]>\”
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/12/14/tulsi-gabbard-introduces-bill-to-stop-us-government-funding-and-arming-jihadist-terrorists-in-syria/
There was a practice when Japan first started trading with the west like this. They disliked and mistrusted Christians exceedingly and had a practice of getting potential traders to trample on a cross as a sign that they weren’t Christian.
” this is also the aim of Islamic State – to foment civil strife and racism in Europe, to provoke conflict and a clash of cultures that would give momentum to their so-called global jihad.”
That is not the aim of Islamic State as you no doubt are well aware. Their aim is the establishment of a global caliphate ruled by sharia. They have spelled this out over and over and over again. They’re not kidding. Really. Fomenting civil strife in Europe is one strategy in one small region of the world by which they hope to achieve that goal. One strategy among many.
How does a so-called security expert fail to make the distinction between goals and strategies? It’s a deliberate attempt to try to stop the ignorant plebs from forming their own views on such a ‘complex’ problem. That strategy is backfiring badly and you know what the definition of insanity is? Try some honesty – people can handle it far better than they handle being lied to.
@Marlowemallow: “Their aim is the establishment of a global caliphate ruled by sharia.” Right. And my aim is to win the lottery. Let’s get real, ok?
Their is no possibility of a ‘global caliphate’. They know that, I know that, and hopefully you know that. They can say it all they like, it’s not a possibility. Just like the IRA could never actually defeat the British Army. So, what’s left? Like all terror organisations, it’s about making a mark, making a statement, getting attention, getting followers. Let’s call it ‘extreme trolling’.
So, civil strife in Europe would do nicely. And it’s so easy to do. Look at all the people on this page jumping to do their bidding! Stir up hatred, provoke over-reaction, gain attention for themselves. Classic stuff. And we’re all falling for it. Hook, line, sinker.
Look at the IRA in the 70s: provoke Britain to overreact, create martyrs, gather recruits. Our memories are so short.
Great to see someone keeping track of some of the smaller attacks that are barely reported in the Irish media. But this nonsense needs to stop:
“mobilised the rhetoric of groups such as Islamic State in order to give some sort of twisted legitimacy to his horrific attack.”
This is pseudo-academic guff. Only westerners who just don’t get religion could come out with it. Religion is an independent motivating force in some human beings’ lives. Always has been and always will be. It is not a post-hoc rationalization, justification or attempt to seek social approval – legitimacy.
They. Believe. It. They believe their god requires them to do these things. They believe it will wipe out previous sins and get them and their families to heaven. Why is this so difficult for people to understand? It’s not all that many centuries since most Europeans believed in the literal reality of heaven, hell and a god that gives orders.
They still believe in curses in Mayo! Catholic priest curses no less.
@Hugh Mannatee: And as far as I recall a majority of Irish people believe in the existence of angels. So why they find it so difficult to apply the same idea to Islam I don’t know.
I suspect it’s the influence of the daft New Age idea that at the core of all religions is one unifying concept about Love/Peace/Fluffy Bunnies/Unicorns etc. So they impose that ridiculous idea on a religion they refuse to learn anything about.
And under that there seems to be a fear that if they did learn the contents of Islam they might be unable to stop themselves from becoming unfairly intolerant. They fundamentally don’t trust themselves. It’s odd but I’ve heard some of them say that in so many words.
They seem to inhabit a binary universe where it’s either the status quo of doing precisely nothing to counter Islamic fundamentalism vs. gas chambers. So they busy themselves avoid that false choice. Our human ability to reason is rickety at best.
Bang on.
Have our government’s here in Europe not got a legal obligation to protect the citizens of their Countries ? So if we take in 1000 refugees and only 10% are radicals that is still 100 nutters being let loose to murder men,women & children of the countries they & their families were born & reared in ! When is this madness going to stop ?
No. Fitzgerald/zappone/fg policy is 2 bring em in on full social welfare etc
They should kill each and everyone of them a life for a life
Tom Clonan is the voice of doom, always on after a terrorist outrage and mongering as much doom as he can muster.
As opposed to an narcissistic Islamo apologist like yourself OLainn.
@Dain Bramage: These attacks damage the Muslim population as much, if not more than the no Muslim populations. The backlash, and ostracisation of the majority peaceful Muslims, is driving them into the hands of the extremists. This must never be forgotten.
@Dave Doyle: Yes, Muslims are the real victims here. Not the dead Europeans.
You Islamic apologists are absolutely deluded.
@Sean O’Connor: I never made any difference. The point i made is never considered, and it’s as important as any other.
Gender quotas cause rapes. Men feel ostracised by laws brought in to make women more equitable and then begin to sympathise with men that really hate women. They begin listening to the dehumanising language and eventually, through no fault of their own and as a direct consequence of Gender Quotas begin raping women. Is this another “fact” I just made up?
@Dave Doyle: Your point most certainly has been considered. It is trotted out reliable after every single jihadist attack and has been for some time. What you don’t seem to have noticed is that it’s extremely offensive to muslims. What you’re saying is that normal, peaceful, tolerant people will become violent jihadists who’ll drive trucks through markets if they feel ostracized. Or they’ll support someone else in their community who will do it. Think about that for a minute.
@Marlowemallow: I have done more than think about it. I have Muslim friends living in London. They have lived there for generations They tell me that in the communities they live in things are getting bad for them. Neighbours who would have spoken to them before any of this started, shun them. They feel ostracised, unwelcome where they have been for generations. They say that the extremists are influencing the Muslim youth in the area. And they can point to the shunning, the ostracisation, the suspicion, the talking behind backs that goes along with all of this.
I’m not saying that normal peaceful Muslims are going to drive trucks through markets. They are afraid that’s what will happen to them. Muslims, the ordinary everyday ones are no different to you or me. We all have the same struggles, wishes and aspirations. All want to simply get on with their lives without any trouble.
I worked with these people in London 20yrs ago, kept in contact, we have visited each other since then. It’s their kids they fear for. Every incident brings more trouble on their heads. Many have given up trying to communicate with their neighbours.
@David, are you saying that non fundamentalist Muslin families think that if their children are shunned and ostracised by bigots that they one day might walk into a crowd of people one day and blow themselves up?
@Dave Doyle: “extremists are influencing the Muslim youth in the area. And they can point to the shunning, the ostracisation, the suspicion, the talking behind backs that goes along with all of this…”
You’re trying to link the two without proving causation. Look, I don’t agree with shunning muslims. But people all over the world throughout history have experienced much worse than shunning and ostracization and not become ‘influenced by extremists’ – by which you mean ‘sympathetic to violent jihadism’.
“Muslims, the ordinary everyday ones are no different to you or me. We all have the same struggles, wishes and aspirations. All want to simply get on with their lives without any trouble.”
That is simply not true. They are different in that they have a religious belief and I, and most non-muslim British people, have none or have different religious beliefs. We do not all have the same wishes – some religious people wish to get to heaven and avoid hell and obey their god. I, and most non-religious people, do not share those aspirations. That makes us different in a way that matters.
But the difference that really matters is that the muslims you describe are not doing anything effective to counter the extremists that they are fully aware are influencing the young people in their voluntary religious community. Instead they try to ‘communicate with their (presumably non-muslim) neighbours’. What is that about? Where is the communication with the extremists?
Ordinary peaceful muslims need to take some responsibility for the religion that they choose to profess and the religiously-motivated behaviour of fellow adherents. They should be out demanding open audits of the mosques they attend, protesting about visas being granted to imams who are banned from preaching in Pakistan, devising anti-extremism education campaigns for Islamic schools and mosques and in prisons.
They should be out confronting these extremists – who are the Islamic version of fascists – on the streets wherever they appear. They’re not doing that. Instead they’re trying to talk to their neighbours. That’s why their neighbours don’t want to listen.
Being a muslim is a free choice in the UK. Raising your children as muslim is a choice you make. And with that choice comes a responsibility to deal with those of your co-religionists who are killing your non-muslim neighbours. If they were doing that effectively none of us would be in the current mess.
@Tuot tuot: No, they think that it’s the children of other non fundamentalist Muslims who might do that. It’s always someone else’s kids who are the potential problem. A blind spot most humans do share:
“the Muslim youth in the area.”
And how many of these attacks will be /allowed or even staged by governments.These will be used as an excuse to pass draconian laws that lock down on the public more problem, reaction, solution.
History is littered with false flags used as an excuse to bring about totalitarian regimes. http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/02/x-admitted-false-flag-attacks.html
Just look at how the dominos were positioned all laid out. Using emotional blackmail the west has been flooded with migrants. .This was done against all sense of common sense and against the will of the people. Now events are being orchestrated to bring people in to conflict.
Dublin Living: No, the goal of the IRA was a united Ireland. And defeating the British army was never necessary to achieve that. The British left India without being militarily defeated. All it required is that the British state and people calculated that the costs of their policies outweighed the benefits.
Recruitment is one thing that terrorist groups do. Another thing they do is actually act to further their aims by killing people. Often the same action serves the dual purpose of killing and attracting recruits.
And it is your memory which is short and parochial. They work on a timeline of centuries and millennia. And they’ve achieved the spread of sharia over vast numbers of people over 1400 years. That’s the timescale they work within.
So yes, their goal is perfectly possible over the course of the next few centuries or millenia. Especially when their opponents are so narcissistic as to be largely uninterested in the future their distant descendants may face as a result of their inaction.
@Marlowemallow: You prove my point. If the goal was a united Ireland, they failed. Thus it was unrealistic.
Let’s stick to now rather than millennia. Not even the Roman Empire or the US or the Nazis could even approach global dominance. You’re just being silly. I’m off back to the real world now, come join me instead of doing the work of ISIS for them.
@Dublin Living: Your logic is like a Swiss cheese. Failure to achieve a goal does not prove that it was unrealistic. Failure to achieve a goal over a given time frame is not failure to achieve a goal at all. In case you hadn’t noticed there are still dissidents pursuing the same goal. Changing goals and accepting a compromise is not failure either.
And of course your assessment of the realism or otherwise of their goals is really of no relevance to them you know. They obviously disagree with your assessment and their view is the relevant one if you want to understand them. And in any event, people have been known to be motivated to do extraordinary things in pursuit of goals that even they consider to be unrealistic.
I do feel sorry for the jihadists sometimes. They must get terribly frustrated that no one believes they could possibly mean what they say. That must inspire some rage against the useful idiot infidels.
What happened in Turkey yesterday is Putin everyone on edge.
Don’t quit the day job Sean.
lol
If this Berlin attach had happened in Israel Tom’s analysis might well be it is part of the cycle of violence Israel should reach out to the people who did it
have your say