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Germany boosts police presence after far-right linked shooting that targeted immigrants After Germany shooting, minorities say the country has been slow to recognize the threat of far-right extremism
(about 3 hours later)
BERLIN — Far-right extremism is the greatest threat to security in Germany, the country's interior minister said on Friday, promising to step up police presence across the country following a deadly shooting attack targeting the immigrant community. HANAU, Germany — Ripped by grief and welling with anger, the message from minority communities hit by Germany's latest far-right attack was clear: more must be done to address the country's extremist scourge.
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said that special attention would be given to mosques and other “vulnerable” institutions after Wednesday night attacks on two hookah bars in Hanau, 15 miles east of Frankfurt. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer on Friday pledged a bigger police presence, particularly at vulnerable sites likes mosques, following the late night attack two days prior in the town of Hanau that targeted hookah cafes favored by residents with Middle Eastern roots. Nine people were killed in the attacks, with the 43-year-old gunman, Tobias Rathjen, later found dead alongside his mother at home.
Nine people were killed in the attacks, with the 43-year-old gunman, Tobias Rathjen, later found dead alongside his mother at home. “A trail of blood of right-wing extremism goes through our country to this day,” Seehofer said, describing it as “the greatest security threat” to the country.
The shootings marked the third right-wing terrorist attack in Germany in less than a year, following an attack on a politician in June and another that targeted a synagogue in October. But Muslim and Kurdish community leaders complained the awakening is coming too slowly, with security agencies too long distracted by the threat of Islamic extremism. Wednesday night’s was the third deadly attack linked to the far-right in less than a year, after a politician was shot in June and a gunman attacked a synagogue in Halle in October.
After Germany shooting tied to far right, Merkel says ‘racism is a poison’ the country must overcomeAfter Germany shooting tied to far right, Merkel says ‘racism is a poison’ the country must overcome
“A trail of blood of right- right-wing extremism goes through our country to this day,” Seehofer said in a joint news conference with other German officials in Berlin. He said that the Hanau incident was “clearly a racist terror attack” and more needs to be done to “drain the swamp” of extremism in Germany. The violence comes against a backdrop of an increasing far-right foothold in mainstream politics, causing a crisis for traditional parties as they attempt to boycott coordination with them in a fractured political scene. The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, has gained momentum in recent years, capitalizing on friction around Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to open the doors to more than a million refugees in 2015.
But he also cautioned that dangers could also arise from the anger and emotion that he’d witnessed when visiting the town a day earlier. Officials have warned that such attacks are aimed at dividing Germans. “We’re very sad about what happened but also very angry,” said Leyla Acar, co-chairwoman of Kon-Med, an association of Kurds in Germany, adding that at least five of Wednesday’s shooting victims were Kurdish. “What are the politicians doing? They always say they are against racism, right-wing extremism, but what do they do?”
The shootings, targeting venues where patrons gather to smoke hookahs, or water pipes, and popular with residents with a Middle Eastern background, have rocked the small city of Hanau, home to less than 100,000 people, and minority communities in Germany as a whole. They have watched with concern as Germany struggles to grapple with a resurgent far-right movement, while the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party has made political gains with a hard line anti-immigration stance.
“We’re very sad about what happened but also very angry,” said Leyla Acar, co-chairwoman of Kon-Med, the association of Kurds in Germany, adding that at least five of the victims of the shootings were Kurdish. “What are the politicians doing? They always say they are against racism, right-wing extremism, but what do they do?”
Extra security was a good step but not enough, she said. “You have to go into their homes and arrest them.”Extra security was a good step but not enough, she said. “You have to go into their homes and arrest them.”
Seehofer said he would be meeting with community leaders to discuss the additional security measures. Many synagogues in Germany have armed police stationed outside.Seehofer said he would be meeting with community leaders to discuss the additional security measures. Many synagogues in Germany have armed police stationed outside.
Synagogue attacker hoped to inspire further anti-Semitic attacks, German authorities saySynagogue attacker hoped to inspire further anti-Semitic attacks, German authorities say
Aiman Mazyek, secretary general of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, said the government had not acted fast enough to address far-right extremists because they have been too focused on Islamic extremists. Largely rebuilt after World War II, the town of Hanau, home to just under 100,000 people, has an ethnic diversity of which many in the town are proud. Many of its residents were either born abroad or are the children of migrants.
Seehofer said that the interior ministry is doing what it can to prevent attacks. He pointed to the arrest of 12 people suspected of belonging to a far-right group planning attacks on targets associated with Muslims and asylum seekers last week. He said that in raids in recent days they had found an “unbelievably large number of grenades and explosives.” “Our city has just gone through its grimmest hours in peacetime,” Hanau Mayor Claus Kaminsky said Friday. “We know where racism and hatred once led” he said, referring to the Hitler rule before and during World War II. The mayor called for unity, but his was a community shaken.
He said the ministry is also looking at how to improve prevention programs to better address so-called lone-wolf attacks like that in Hanau and at a synagogue in Halle in October. In front of the Midnight hookah bar, where Rathjen is alleged to have opened fire at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, friends of victims assembled in silent mourning on Friday. Locals lit candles placed at the edges of the police cordon around the shuttered bar, which is popular among the small city’s youth.
Prosecutor Peter Frank said that investigators have spoken to around 40 eyewitnesses as they piece together more about the attacks, which began at 10 p.m. on Monday evening at the Midnight hookah bar in central Hanau. Police have said the shooter sped off in a dark vehicle before opening fire at Arena Bar and Cafe, in a neighborhood further east. Several school classes had interrupted lessons to pay their respects. In the tightknit community, many young residents knew at least one of the victims personally.
He said that autopsies are being carried out, including on Rathjen’s mother to determine how she was killed. He said that Rathjen had permits for two weapons. Levent Güldag, 43, was standing at the intersection opposite to the Midnight hookah bar, staring into the empty, cordoned off area in front of the bar. His 20-year old son, he said, had lost one of his best friends in the shooting on Wednesday night.
Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said that authorities need to check whether German guns laws — known for being some of the strongest in Europe — are properly enforced. She said warning signs also need to be better monitored. “The government needs to act,” said Güldag, suggesting that the AfD should be banned from parliament.
“One has to take note that such a terrible bloody act does not arise out of nothing,” she said. “Conspiracy theories, as obviously held by the perpetrator, are the breeding ground for hatred.” “I was born here. I grew up here. I have a German wife. I have three children,” he said, increasingly agitated. “There’s nothing more I can do to assimilate. I can’t color my hair so that I look more German, more Aryan.”
In addition to railing against immigration, Rathjen’s online writings include a mix of confused conspiratorial theories and warnings about supposed mind-control and secret societies. Acar echoed his sentiments. One of the Kurdish victims, she said, was a 23-year-old named Ferhat Ünver.
Acar expressed anger that some commentators had dismissed Rathjen as “mentally ill” rather than a right-wing extremist. “He was racist,” she said. “His grandfather came to Germany 40 years ago,” she said. “His grandfather was one of those who built the streets in Hanau, and on those streets he was shot down for being an immigrant. He was born here, raised here.”
Seehofer said the interior ministry is doing what it can to prevent attacks. He pointed to the arrest last week of 12 people suspected of belonging to a far-right group plotting against targets associated with Muslims and asylum seekers. He said that in raids in recent days, authorities had found an “unbelievably large number of grenades and explosives.”
He said the government is also looking at how to thwart lone-wolf attacks, like the ones in Hanau and in Halle.
“One has to take note that such a terrible bloody act does not arise out of nothing,” Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said. “Conspiracy theories, as obviously held by the perpetrator, are the breeding ground for hatred.”
In addition to railing against immigration, Rathjen’s online writing includes a mix of confused conspiratorial theories and warnings about supposed mind-control and secret societies.
Wednesday’s attack had been a “terrible endpoint,” said Aiman Mazyek, secretary general of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany. He called for better recognition of the problem of Islamophobia. “The first step is to name the problems,” he said.
As a foreigner, Ahmed Luqman, 34, a taxi driver in Hanau who has been in Germany for 10 years said that there is “a lot of fear everywhere.”
“I hope it doesn’t continue like this,” he said. “I hope it stops.”
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