This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/jul/25/ansbach-explosion-german-town-deliberate-blast-latest

The article has changed 28 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 9 Version 10
Ansbach explosion: attacker was rejected Syrian asylum seeker, say German officials – latest Ansbach explosion: attacker was rejected Syrian asylum seeker, say German officials – latest
(35 minutes later)
6.56am BST
06:56
Government must toughen deportation rules – Bavarian minister
Joachim Herrmann, the Bavarian interior minister, has said that he will push the federal government to tighten rules governing the deportation of asylum seekers who break the law.
He says this issue has long been on the agenda, and not just because of Ansbach or Würzburg.
Although the Syrian man behind the Ansbach bombing had failed in his bid for asylum, he had been allowed to stay in Germany because of the civil war in Syria.
6.50am BST
06:50
Kate Connolly
Back in Ansbach, police have shed a little more light on the record of the 27-year-old bomber.
It was revealed at a press conference early on Monday that he was known to police but not why.
But Hermann Lennert of the Ansbach police said on Monday morning that he had committed a “minor offence” in the past. He was also known because of an attempt to take his own life, Lennert said, something noted by Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann earlier.
Armed and masked police are guarding the front of the asylum home in Ansbach where the man had been living.
6.39am BST
06:39
Kate Connolly
As the investigation continues in Ansbach, it is expected that Merkel will be forced to break off her holiday again to deal with the crisis.
Kate Connolly explains how the shocking events of the last week have caught her and her ministers away from their desks.
Merkel is believed to be on holiday in Uckermark, north-east Germany, where she has a house. The next three weeks of her schedule are officially empty, but it is unlikely she will have much time for relaxing now. She had been heading off on holiday on Friday when the Munich shooting happened, just as her interior minister Thomas de Maiziere was called back from the United States where he is on holiday with his family. He was also called back after Würzburg incident last week.
Typically Merkel goes to the Wagner opera festival at Bayreuth in northern Bavaria but the main reception and concert she attends with her husband has been cancelled after events in Munich. She also regularly spends part of her summer holiday hiking in South Tirol, though that too is also now in doubt as she deals with the crisis at home.
Updated
at 6.39am BST
6.29am BST
06:29
News agencies have released pictures of German police outside “an asylum seeker’s house” in Ansbach on Monday morning.
The Syrian man who detonated the bomb on Sunday night lived in the town but it is not clear from the captions provided with the pictures whether it is his address.
6.22am BST6.22am BST
06:2206:22
Kate ConnollyKate Connolly
Our Berlin correspondent, Kate Connolly, has been looking at the political fallout from the latest attack which has left Angela Merkel’s government facing a full-blown crisis: Our Berlin correspondent, Kate Connolly, has been looking at the political fallout from the latest attack, which has left Angela Merkel’s government facing a full-blown crisis:
The German government has a crisis on its hands. Whilst right-wing populists tried to claim, even as it was still underway, that the Munich shooting was a consequence of Merkel’s refugee policy after initial suspicions it looked like an Islamist terror attack, now we have a major security incident involving someone we know arrived as an asylum seeker from Syria – albeit not in last summer and autumn’s large wave - according to Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann. The German government has a crisis on its hands. While rightwing populists tried to claim, even as it was still under way, that the Munich shooting was a consequence of Merkel’s refugee policy after initial suspicions it looked like an Islamist terror attack, we now have a major security incident involving someone we know arrived as an asylum seeker from Syria – albeit not in last summer and autumn’s large wave – according to the Bavarian interior minister, Joachim Herrmann.
It will be necessary for Merkel’s government to respond as quickly as possible to reassure Germans that such events are not going to escalate.It will be necessary for Merkel’s government to respond as quickly as possible to reassure Germans that such events are not going to escalate.
We’ve had the Würzburg axe and knife attack, perpetrated by a man said to be a 17-year-old Afghan who arrived in Germany 2 years ago (however, his identity is still very unclear. It has been suggested he might just have been in possession of the Afghan passport and might not be 17). We’ve had the Würzburg axe and knife attack, perpetrated by a man said to be a 17-year-old Afghan who arrived in Germany two years ago (however, his identity is still unclear. It has been suggested he might just have been in possession of the Afghan passport and might not be 17).
On Sunday a Syrian man knifed to death a 45-year-old Polish woman who is believed to have been pregnant (though police say there is still no indication this was a politically-motivated attack). The Ansbach attack followed where had the man been allowed into the festival, could have been worse. All within the space of one week. On Sunday, a Syrian man knifed to death a 45-year-old Polish woman who is believed to have been pregnant (though police say there is still no indication this was a politically motivated attack). The Ansbach attack followed and had the man been allowed into the festival it could have been worse. All within the space of one week.
The government has also made repeated claims over the past few years that there are many terror attacks that intelligence agencies have managed to thwart, including at a football match in Hannover, last November, which was evacuated due to an apparent threat. The government has also made repeated claims over the past few years that there are many terror attacks that intelligence agencies have managed to thwart, including at a football match in Hannover last November, which was evacuated due to an apparent threat.
This chain of events and the threatened state Germany finds itself in, could come to dominate September 2017’s general election, in which Merkel is expected to stand for a fourth term.This chain of events and the threatened state Germany finds itself in, could come to dominate September 2017’s general election, in which Merkel is expected to stand for a fourth term.
Updated
at 6.32am BST
5.54am BST5.54am BST
05:5405:54
Reuters also has an anonymous quote from a US intelligence source saying that German investigators would focus on “what the bomber was doing before he left Syria, why he was denied asylum, and whether the attempted attack was personal or political”.Reuters also has an anonymous quote from a US intelligence source saying that German investigators would focus on “what the bomber was doing before he left Syria, why he was denied asylum, and whether the attempted attack was personal or political”.
5.53am BST5.53am BST
05:5305:53
The German asylum system and process will also come under scrutiny.The German asylum system and process will also come under scrutiny.
The spate of violent incidents could “undermine” the ayslum system, the regional interior minister Joachim Herrmann said on Monday.The spate of violent incidents could “undermine” the ayslum system, the regional interior minister Joachim Herrmann said on Monday.
Reuters quotes the minister:Reuters quotes the minister:
Unfortunately, this is a terrible new attack which will surely increase people’s anxiety.Unfortunately, this is a terrible new attack which will surely increase people’s anxiety.
Hermann added he was worried “the right to asylum would be undermined” by the events of the past week.Hermann added he was worried “the right to asylum would be undermined” by the events of the past week.
5.40am BST5.40am BST
05:4005:40
The series of violent incidents in Germany may force the chancellor, Angela Merkel, to once more break off from her summer holiday in the Alps. She took time out on Saturday to address the nation about the Munich shooting and will face pressure to do so again after the Ansbach explosion.The series of violent incidents in Germany may force the chancellor, Angela Merkel, to once more break off from her summer holiday in the Alps. She took time out on Saturday to address the nation about the Munich shooting and will face pressure to do so again after the Ansbach explosion.
Merkel has ruled Germany since 2005 but her popularity dipped after she allowed hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Africa to enter Germany in the summer of 2015.Merkel has ruled Germany since 2005 but her popularity dipped after she allowed hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Africa to enter Germany in the summer of 2015.
Her stance is thought to have cost her CDU party dearly at the regional elections in March when there were strong gains for the anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).Her stance is thought to have cost her CDU party dearly at the regional elections in March when there were strong gains for the anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
She faces a federal election next year but she has polled better in the weeks after the Brexit vote in the UK, the recent attacks across Europe and the failed coup in Turkey. Germany is home to 1.5 million Turks.She faces a federal election next year but she has polled better in the weeks after the Brexit vote in the UK, the recent attacks across Europe and the failed coup in Turkey. Germany is home to 1.5 million Turks.
For more, here is an analysis written by our Berlin correspondent Kate Conolly in the wake of the Munich shooting:For more, here is an analysis written by our Berlin correspondent Kate Conolly in the wake of the Munich shooting:
Related: In wake of Munich terror, Germans look to Merkel for reassuranceRelated: In wake of Munich terror, Germans look to Merkel for reassurance
And here is a profile of Merkel written for the Observer in March:And here is a profile of Merkel written for the Observer in March:
Related: Angela Merkel: enigmatic leader of a divided land | profileRelated: Angela Merkel: enigmatic leader of a divided land | profile
UpdatedUpdated
at 5.47am BSTat 5.47am BST
5.05am BST5.05am BST
05:0505:05
'It was very disturbing' – witness'It was very disturbing' – witness
Sky News has spoken to a witness, Thomas Debinski, who described the “disturbing” scene as people in the small city came to realise a violent act had taken place.Sky News has spoken to a witness, Thomas Debinski, who described the “disturbing” scene as people in the small city came to realise a violent act had taken place.
People were definitely panicking, the rumour we were hearing immediately was that there had been a gas explosion.People were definitely panicking, the rumour we were hearing immediately was that there had been a gas explosion.
But then people came past and said it was a rucksack that had exploded. Someone blew themselves up. After what just happened in Munich it’s very disturbing to think what can happen so close to you in such a small town.But then people came past and said it was a rucksack that had exploded. Someone blew themselves up. After what just happened in Munich it’s very disturbing to think what can happen so close to you in such a small town.
UpdatedUpdated
at 5.08am BSTat 5.08am BST
4.57am BST4.57am BST
04:5704:57
4.53am BST4.53am BST
04:5304:53
And what we don't know ...And what we don't know ...
4.43am BST4.43am BST
04:4304:43
What we know so farWhat we know so far
UpdatedUpdated
at 5.02am BSTat 5.02am BST
4.07am BST4.07am BST
04:0704:07
'Bomber was known to police' – minister'Bomber was known to police' – minister
More from the press conference, Janek reports:More from the press conference, Janek reports:
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.32am BSTat 4.32am BST
3.55am BST3.55am BST
03:5503:55
Possibility of terror motive 'cannot be ruled out' – ministerPossibility of terror motive 'cannot be ruled out' – minister
Bavarian justice minister Joachim Herrmann said that because the dead man’s backpack contained pieces of metal, the possibility of an terrorist motivation for the incident could not be ruled out.Bavarian justice minister Joachim Herrmann said that because the dead man’s backpack contained pieces of metal, the possibility of an terrorist motivation for the incident could not be ruled out.
However, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office in Ansbach said the attacker’s motive was not clear.However, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office in Ansbach said the attacker’s motive was not clear.
“If there is an Islamist link or not is purely speculation at this point,” said the spokesman, Michael Schrotberger.“If there is an Islamist link or not is purely speculation at this point,” said the spokesman, Michael Schrotberger.
3.45am BST3.45am BST
03:4503:45
Janek has sent another update about the press conference.Janek has sent another update about the press conference.
3.37am BST3.37am BST
03:3703:37
According to Herrmann the suspect – who lived in Ansbach – had intended to disrupt the music festival, but failed to get into the event.According to Herrmann the suspect – who lived in Ansbach – had intended to disrupt the music festival, but failed to get into the event.
The minister confirmed that some of the wounded people had suffered serious injury. Earlier reports said three people had been seriously injured but Herrmann did not specify the exact number.The minister confirmed that some of the wounded people had suffered serious injury. Earlier reports said three people had been seriously injured but Herrmann did not specify the exact number.
He also said that there were 200 police officers taking part in the operation in Ansbach alongside 350 rescue workers and firefighters.He also said that there were 200 police officers taking part in the operation in Ansbach alongside 350 rescue workers and firefighters.
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.35am BSTat 4.35am BST