Germany terror attacks

This item appears on page 21 of the December 2019 issue.

On Oct. 7, a man intentionally drove a semi-trailer truck into a line of cars stopped at an intersection in Limburg, Germany, injuring seven people. The incident is being described by German police as an act of terrorism. The driver of the truck was identified as a Syrian national who had been living in Germany since 2015.

A German gunman attacked a synagogue and a kabob shop in Halle, Germany, on Oct. 9, the day of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, killing two people and injuring two others. The attack included the attempt to blow open the doors to the synagogue with a bomb after worshipers had barricaded it shut. Police arrested the gunman after a short car chase.

In video recorded before and during the attack, the gunman espoused anti-Semitic and extreme right-wing motives for his actions. It was not known at press time if he was a formal member of any organized group.