3rd suspect admits role in Germany gurudwara attack
A third teenager, arrested in connection with the bombardment at a gurudwara in the German city of Essen, admitted to the authorities that he was part of a group which carried out the terror assault. The group is believed to have IS links. Tolga I, also known as 'Amir', however, could not shed light on the motive behind the April 16 attack.
Sikhs are a religious minority in Germany. Varying reports peg the Sikh population to be anywhere between 12,000-50,000 in Germany- the third highest Sikh diaspora in Europe after United Kingdom and Italy.
German police announced that three people had been injured in an "apparently deliberate" explosion at a gurdwara in the western city of Essen. Amongst those injured, one was a gurudwara priest. The gurudwara had hosted a wedding ceremony earlier in the day and the other 2 were believed to be the guests. The police said the blast was "quite violent," blowing out several windows.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted: "Distressed to hear of an explosion in a Gurudwara in Essen in Germany. Our Mission is following up with local authorities on ground situation".
The German authorities set up a special commission for a thorough probe into the Nanaksar Satsang Darbar gurdwara explosion. India's Consul General in Frankfurt also visited the Sikh community and held talks with Mayor of Essen Thomas Kufen and Police Commissioner Frank Richter. The German authorities maintained that they would take appropriate measures to ensure that the Sikh community felt secure.
According to media sources, officials investigating the attack believe that the dreaded IS terror group may be linked to the explosion at the gurudwara in Germany's western city of Essen. Police in Essen confirmed that they had arrested 2 men "after an intensive search". One of the two men identified by police -Yusuf T, was allegedly an ISIS sympathiser and had radical links.
German police arrested a 16-year-old in connection with the gurudwara bombing in Assen. The third suspect was also an IS sympathiser. According to the media reports, the 3 suspects had rehearsed for the attack by exploding a prototype of their self-made bomb. Previously, during their interrogation, Yussuf T and Mohammed B had said that they detonated the bomb "for the fun of making fireworks".
