Islamic State claims German suicide bomber was former militant fighter

The Islamic State on Wednesday claimed that suicide bomber who struck a southern German city had been an active fighter with the extremist group in the Middle East, and had drawn on his own expertise with explosives to craft the device.

The militants’ Al-Nabaa newsletter published an obituary of the assailant, a Syrian asylum seeker who arrived in Germany in 2014 under the name Mohammed Daleel.

The obituary — a gesture the Islamic State generally reserves for prominent figures — claimed the 27-year-old man Daleel regular contact with an operative of the organization in the months prior to the Sunday attack outside a music festival.

But it also suggested Daleel — not experts within the Islamic State — had personally devised and orchestrated the bombing that left him dead and 15 people wounded.

The claims of past Islamic State links for Daleel contrasted with initial police theories that he was likely a self-radicalized figure possibly influenced by militant propaganda. And — if proven true — the Islamic State assertions could bring further scrutiny on possible efforts by the militant group to slip its backers into Europe.

Read More- Washington Post

Image courtesy of AP