A Syrian man who detonated explosives outside a music festival in the German city of Ansbach, killing only himself and wounding at least 15 people, had pledged allegiance to the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group before the attack, according to a senior government official.
The 27-year-old suspect, who was a refugee, blew himself up late on Sunday after being denied entry to the event, Al Jazeera reports.
Joachim Herrmann, the interior minister of Bavaria, said on Monday that video footage discovered on the suspect’s mobile phone showed him pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS, makes it clear the incident was a “terrorist attack”.
He said the man, who has not been named, also “announced an act of revenge against Germans”.
Moments later, IS claimed the bombing on its Amaq website, saying that the attacker was one of its “soldiers”.
German police also said on Monday that they had found enough materials to make another bomb at the suspect’s home and several violent videos.
“Germany will boost its police presence at airports and train stations and carry out stop-and-search operations close to border areas,” Thomas de Maiziere, Germany’s interior minister, said in Berlin on Monday after four violent attacks in less than a week.
