Twelve dead in Berlin terrorist attack

[Dartzap]

Beeb

German police are investigating a "probable terrorist attack" after a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48.

They have detained the driver, who security sources reportedly say is an Afghan or Pakistani asylum seeker.

He arrived in Germany in February as a refugee, the DPA news agency said.
The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to the police for minor crimes, but not terror links.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence," Berlin Police said on Twitter.

Fucks sake.

[wautd]

Maybe I'm cynical but I'm surprised sick shit like doesn't happen more often considering how extremist mainstream Islam in Pakistan is.

[cosmicalstorm]

Another "lone wolf".

Merkel better hurry up with the Truth Ministry, maybe it could become an act of terrorism to report on terrorism, so to prevent the polarization of Germany?

[The Romulan Republic]

And the Alt. Rightist vultures come crawling out, ready to exploit the dead to advance the cause of xenophobia.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Another "lone wolf".

Merkel better hurry up with the Truth Ministry, maybe it could become an act of terrorism to report on terrorism, so to prevent the polarization of Germany?

Individuals radicalize independently and locally. No conspiracy is required, and driving a lory into a crowd is the exact sort of terrorist attack that requires no organized logistics or support from, or even knowledge by an outside group. If I wanted to go and ram my car into a bunch of people I hate tomorrow, I could easily do it. Would you conclude that if I did so in the general direction of a souther baptist church on christmas morning that my terrorist attack is the result of a vast gay conspiracy?

[AMX]

Police are now saying the arrested refugee was probably not the attacker.

[Grumman]

And the Alt. Rightist vultures come crawling out, ready to exploit the dead to advance the cause of xenophobia.

This is the religious right, regularly murdering people in the name of their religion. Why are you running interference for them with idiotic accusations of "xenophobia"?

For fuck's sake, who do you think you're helping if you're also letting in the psychos the refugees need refuge from?

[The Romulan Republic]

And the Alt. Rightist vultures come crawling out, ready to exploit the dead to advance the cause of xenophobia.

This is the religious right, regularly murdering people in the name of their religion. Why are you running interference for them with idiotic accusations of "xenophobia"?

For fuck's sake, who do you think you're helping if you're also letting in the psychos the refugees need refuge from?

I was responding to cosmicalstorm's dogwhistle bull shit.

Perhaps you want to reconsider your words, because it sounds like you're suggesting that I condone Islamist terrorism.

[Zixinus]

Is the regular response to terrorists attacks being people with political axes to grind coming out of the woodwork and passive aggressively accusing the other's general political leaning a new thing or has it always been this way?

[The Romulan Republic]

Is the regular response to terrorists attacks being people with political axes to grind coming out of the woodwork and passive aggressively accusing the other's general political leaning a new thing or has it always been this way?

This argument has been going on pretty much constantly, in one form or another, since September of 2001. Probably before then too, but I didn't follow these sorts of issues much before then.

Terrorist attack happens. Right wingers fear monger about terrorist (in their minds, synonymous with Muslim) take over. Others argue back. And 'round and 'round we go.

It'll almost certainly get much, much worse before it gets better.

[Patroklos]

And the Alt. Rightist vultures come crawling out, ready to exploit the dead to advance the cause of xenophobia.

This is your first thought? So sad...

TRR you are the only one who decided to engage in the political opportunism you describe. You sabotaged your own BS while assuming the role you claim to be reacting to.

[The Romulan Republic]

And the Alt. Rightist vultures come crawling out, ready to exploit the dead to advance the cause of xenophobia.

This is your first thought? So sad...

TRR you are the only one who decided to engage in the political opportunism you describe. You sabotaged your own BS while assuming the role you claim to be reacting to.

Yeah, because cosmicalstorm's insinuation that the German government protects terrorists for the sake of political correctness wasn't "political opportunism" at all.

And yeah, that probably is going to be my first though these days, at least after some variation on "God damn it, another one". Because every time something like this happens, certain people immediately try to exploit it to advance their bigoted, authoritarian cause. And, funny thing, I don't like seeing the victims of these crimes used to try to create more victims.

[Dragon Angel]

It's as if going all "religion of peace am i rite" "why don't people just call it radical ISLAMIC terrorism" "ban all muslim refugees!!!" "the Islam Apologists Ministry of Truth will set us all free" et. al. without any context whatsoever in every story involving terrorist activities leads people to draw conclusions on your toxic political leanings.

Get a clue.

[Patroklos]

And the Alt. Rightist vultures come crawling out, ready to exploit the dead to advance the cause of xenophobia.

This is your first thought? So sad...

TRR you are the only one who decided to engage in the political opportunism you describe. You sabotaged your own BS while assuming the role you claim to be reacting to.

Yeah, because cosmicalstorm's insinuation that the German government protects terrorists for the sake of political correctness wasn't "political opportunism" at all.

And yeah, that probably is going to be my first though these days, at least after some variation on "God damn it, another one". Because every time something like this happens, certain people immediately try to exploit it to advance their bigoted, authoritarian cause. And, funny thing, I don't like seeing the victims of these crimes used to try to create more victims.

That's nice little root. You do understand that you are indistinguishable from comicalstorm for a most intents and purposes right?

[RogueIce]

Is the regular response to terrorists attacks being people with political axes to grind coming out of the woodwork and passive aggressively accusing the other's general political leaning a new thing or has it always been this way?

Look what happens with any spree shooting in the US, how quickly it degenerates into yet another gun control argument. TBH, if there's some controversial political fight that is somehow connected to a particular tragedy (gun control, religiously motivated terrorism, refugees, etc.), expect there to be a shitfest about it before the victims' bodies are even cold.

[cosmicalstorm]

There seems to be confusion about the attacker. God knows if I was a Paki and nearby such a scene god knows I would run for it to avoid a lynching.

If it turns out this was some mentally deranged Pole I have no problems apologizing for coming to conclusions, but this kind of attack stinks Salafascism all the way due to Nice.

[Dragon Angel]

There seems to be confusion about the attacker. God knows if I was a Paki and nearby such a scene god knows I would run for it to avoid a lynching.

If it turns out this was some mentally deranged Pole I have no problems apologizing for coming to conclusions, but this kind of attack stinks Salafascism all the way due to Nice.

Yeah, I wonder why anyone who is Pakistani (ah, your racial slurs...) or for that matter Muslim at all would be afraid of vigilante mobs with people like you constantly hyperventilating about EVIL MUSLIMS! nearly every single time something happens. It's as if you have a bias or an agenda to uphold, hmm...

Vehicular homicide is far from being exclusive to Islamic fundamentalists. You're part of the problem.

[Flagg]

How do they know it was a terrorist attack and not just a shitty driver? I mean we have incredibly old people who shouldn't operate shopping carts elderly drivers that kill more people when they hit the gas instead of the brakes all the time.

[General Zod]

Looks like the police just released the guy because they don't know if he's the driver.

[Grumman]

How do they know it was a terrorist attack and not just a shitty driver?

Because the truck driver was murdered before the attack.

[Shroom Man 777]

Looks like the police just released the guy because they don't know if he's the driver.

According to the article:

That meant the culprit was still on the run, and far-right politicians wasted no time in pinning responsibility for the deaths on Chancellor Angela Merkel.

[Kojiro]

Yeah, I wonder why anyone who is Pakistani (ah, your racial slurs...)

Maybe it's an Australian thing because we have no objection to being called 'Aussie' which to me, but 'Paki' seems like a similar contraction of an otherwise four syllable word. To me it just seems practical, like Aussie.

What is interesting here though is that the attacker didn't try to die in the course of the attack. The vast majority of these sorts of attacks are suicide missions, are they not?

Honestly though I'm surprised that people who are willing to just plow though pedestrians aren't doing more malevolent things in general.

[Shroom Man 777]

Really depends. Contemporarily... suicide attacks are kinda not-that-old. They emerged in the 80s... and became a fad after. In the Soviet-Afghan war, the Mujahadeen didn't do suicide attacks that much, I think. And that was like the greatest jihad of all time. Ever. Against the greatest enemy ever. Soviet Russia. Only the Butlerian Jihad and Leto II's jihad would surpass that.

And in the other pre-80s conflicts, from Black September massacrating Munich to the Battle for Algiers to all those hostage takings of airplanes that inspired all sorts of Chuck Norris movies, suicide attacks didn't figure that much.

[Gandalf]

Yeah, I wonder why anyone who is Pakistani (ah, your racial slurs...)

Maybe it's an Australian thing because we have no objection to being called 'Aussie' which to me, but 'Paki' seems like a similar contraction of an otherwise four syllable word. To me it just seems practical, like Aussie.

Yeah, it's a similar contraction. But its use is what makes the difference.

As an example, tell me about how one could contract the word "Aboriginal."

[MKSheppard]

How do they know it was a terrorist attack and not just a shitty driver? I mean we have incredibly old people who shouldn't operate shopping carts elderly drivers that kill more people when they hit the gas instead of the brakes all the time.

Dead polish driver in the passenger seat, shot and stabbed to death?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... crash.html