Afghan 'axe-man' was a lone wolf terrorist

  • 21/07/2016
The suspect was shot and killed by police (Facebook)
The suspect was shot and killed by police (Facebook)

A 17-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who went on a rampage on a Bavarian train with an axe and a knife appears to have acted alone, goaded on by online Islamic extremist propaganda, Germany's top security official says.

Five people were injured in the attack and two remain in critical condition, "and it is not yet clear if they will all survive," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin.

Police shot and killed the teenager shortly after he fled.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack and though German authorities have said that they have found no direct link to the extremists, an IS flag was found among the suspect's possessions.

He also refers to himself as a "soldier of the Islamic State" in a video that was posted by the group.

It shows the young man waving a knife as he talks into the camera.

"It appears to be a classic farewell video of a suicide attacker," de Maiziere said.

In the video, the suspect, whose name has not been released, urges others to commit attacks, saying "if you can't come to Iraq and Syria the least you can do is kill these infidels in the countries that you live in."

De Maiziere said authorities are looking into the possibility that he might actually have been from Pakistan.

Reuters