“Former Yugoslavia”? Yugoslavia ceased to exist in 1992. That was 25 years ago. Why is that still a point of reference? Why don’t they say he is from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire? Can’t the police be a bit more specific? Is this axe attacker a Catholic from Croatia? Orthodox from Serbia? Or…a Muslim from Bosnia or Kosovo? Why are authorities being so coy, just as they were in the case of the Heidelberg vehicle/knife attack, in which they identified the attacker as a “German national” without releasing his name or addressing the question of his religion? This doesn’t allay suspicions, it only increases them. And given the fact that terror motives have been dismissed in so very many other cases, including the Fort Hood jihad massacre, unless and until we receive more information the authorities’ assertion that this was not terror cannot prudently be taken at face value. What’s more, obvious jihad attacks have often been dismissed as acts by people with “mental health problems.”
“Man arrested after injuring seven people in Düsseldorf axe attack,” Guardian, March 9, 2017:
A man was arrested after injuring seven people with an axe at Düsseldorf’s main train station on Thursday night, police have said.
In a statement, they described the man as a 36-year-old from the former Yugoslavia who apparently had mental health problems. Police said three of the victims were seriously injured, with the others suffering minor injuries. The suspect was also injured.
Earlier, a spokesman for federal police had said two people were arrested and further attackers might be on the run. This was later corrected by police who confirmed only one arrest.
Police said there was no indication of a terrorist motive behind the attack….