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Knife Attacker 'Wanted to Kill As Many Christians As Possible'

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German prosecutors say a Palestinian man who fatally stabbed one person and wounded six others at a Hamburg supermarket in July wanted to kill as many Christians as possible to avenge what he considered injustices against Muslims worldwide.
 
Federal prosecutors say 26-year-old Ahmad A., whose last name wasn't published due to German privacy rules, considered his actions a "contribution to a worldwide jihad."
 
In a statement Friday, prosecutors said they were formally indicting the failed asylum-seeker, who was born in the United Arab Emirates, on one count of murder, six counts of attempted murder and six counts of serious bodily harm.
 
The man walked into a supermarket, grabbed a kitchen knife from a store shelf and started attacking people before he was subdued by passers-by and arrested.
 
Prosecutors said investigators found no "credible evidence" that A. was involved with or under the direction of a terrorist group such as the Islamic State.
 
Officials in Hamburg have said that he was known to authorities as a suspected Islamic radical but not as a "jihadist." They also considered him psychologically unstable but decided he did not "pose any immediate danger."
 
Federal prosecutors said he decided on the day of the attack to kill Christian Germans indiscriminately, and that he cited tensions over a contested Jerusalem holy site as his motivation.
 
 
 
 

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About The Author

Dale
Hurd

Since joining CBN News, Dale has reported extensively from Western Europe, as well as China, Russia, and Central and South America. Dale also covered China's opening to capitalism in the early 1990s, as well as the Yugoslav Civil War. CBN News awarded him its Command Performance Award for his reporting from Moscow and Sarajevo. Since 9/11, Dale has reported extensively on various aspects of the global war on terror in the United States and Europe. Follow Dale on Twitter @dalehurd and "like" him at Facebook.com/DaleHurdNews.