Würzburg knifeman was carrying out ‘personal jihad’

From the Sunday Times

A Somali immigrant with a record of mental illness who is accused of killing three women during a knife attack in Bavaria told police that he was carrying out a “personal jihad”.

Abdirahman J, 24, began his attack, targeting women, in Würzburg’s Woolworth store yesterday afternoon when he asked “where are the knives?” in the shop’s household department. As the saleswoman, 49, showed him knives he grabbed the one with the longest blade, of just over five inches long, and stabbed her repeatedly in the neck killing her.

He then turned on other female customers killing a pensioner, 82 and another woman, 24 who died protecting her daughter from the attacker. As she fought back, covered in blood, he followed her into the street killing her before going on to carry out further attacks.

There were six other wounded victims, all women including a 15-year old girl who is in critical condition in hospital. One victim, Ingrid L, 73, was stabbed 13 times and narrowly escaped death.

According to witnesses, the attacker shouted the jihadist battle cry “Allahu akbar” (God is great) and was stopped from further killings by a passersby who cornered him with a broomstick, broken-off branches and shopping bags.

When police arrived, at 5pm on Friday, following an attack that only lasted around seven minutes, the attacker waved the knife at officers before being shot in his thigh and arrested.

“Allahu akbar. I realised my personal jihad,” he said after his arrest, according to police sources.

When police searched his room in the homeless shelter they found Islamic State literature in his room; terrorist officers are now investigating any potential links with others.