Germany: Solingen Attacker Reportedly Yelled, "Allahu Akhbar" During Attack

One witness indicates suspect lives in Solingen and attends local mosque

-Kronen Zeitung (Austria)

Yesterday, we reported on a mass stabbing in the German city of Solingen that has resulted in three deaths and several serious injuries. Police have detained a 15-year-old and charged him with failing to report a planned crime. It seems that a witness overheard this person talking with another person prior to the crime and that the conversation was pertinent to the attack. Police have also learned from a witness that the attacker yelled, "Allahu Akhbar" during the attack, that the witness recognized the suspect from previously seeing him in Solingen, and further, that the suspect attended a local mosque.

We have translated the first two paragraphs of this article from Welt.

Police report- Witness heard, "Allahu akhbar" shout

By Martin Lutz, Thorsten Jungholt

17:16

Welt am Sonntag is aware of an internal police report on the knife attack in Solingen. An injured witness stated that he (recognized) the suspect from the city and that he attended a local mosque.

In a Solingen police report that Welt am Sonntag is aware of, it states verbatim: "An injured witness stated that he knew (recognized) the man (from seeing him) in Solingen" and that he was also an attendee of a local mosque. A witness reported that the suspect shouted, "Allahu Akhbar" during the crime.

*Update: The Kronen Zeitung (Austria) is reporting that the 15-year-old is reportedly from Kyrgyzstan and was apprehended at a refugee center.  In addition, police have discovered a knife near the scene of the crime which may be the murder weapon.

Suspect being led out of refugee center

-Solinger Tageblatt

In addition, Heute (Austria) is reporting that two witnesses stated that they heard the suspect tell the 15-year-old, "Today I'm going to stab everyone."

*Update: According to today's Solinger Tageblatt, ISIS has claimed responsibility.

Germany: Knife Attack in Solingen, 3 Dead

Solingen Fronhof-Scene of the attack

This evening in the German city of Solingen, a man described as "Arab in appearance" went on a knife rampage in the city center as the city was celebrating its 650th anniversary. To date, three are dead, having been slashed in the throat, and several others are seriously injured.

Solinger Tageblatt

Coincidentally, Solingen has been known for centuries for the production of swords, knives, and other cutlery. It is also the birthplace of Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann.

The below article from Bild is translated by Fousesquawk. A video with English subtitles is forthcoming. 

*Note: As this article was being translated, several updates were added and will likely continue to be added. In addition, the headline has been altered. Thus, there are likely to be discrepancies from this translation.

Knife rampage in Solingen

At least three people killed at City Festival

Several seriously injured. Perpetrator on the run

Solingen- Dead and injured at the City Festival! Around 9:45 pm, a man with a knife randomly stabbed passersby in Solingen . The perpetrator, according to witness statements, an Arab-looking man, is on the run.

According to initial information, there are reportedly three dead and four seriously injured. Dozens of rescue workers are busy (treating) the injured. The scene of the crime is the Fronhof, a lively square in the inner city, with a stage built for the occasion of the City Festival (and) live bands were playing.

Caption: The police have sounded a major alarm; the perpetrator is on the run.

Perpetrator deliberately stabbed the throats of his victims.

The man reportedly deliberately stabbed his victims in the throat with the knife. For that reason, the investigators are classifying the crime as a terror attack and no longer as a rampage.

The police have sounded a major rampage alarm, and a search for the stabber is underway. The City Festival was canceled and a police helicopter is circling. Heavily armed SEK units with about 40 special vehicles from all over North-Rhine Westphalia are in Solingen. Street intersections were closed, and residents were told to stay in their homes and avoid the city center.  A  temporary situation center was set up in a cafe.

Rescue workers fight to save the lives of the injured

According to a report from the Solinger Tageblatt (newspaper), Philipp Mueller, one of the co-organizers, stated from the stage that rescue workers were fighting to save the lives of 9 people. Thousands of visitors followed the requests to leave the square calmly and not to panic. "The people are shocked but peaceful on the square," Mueller informed the newspaper.

Lord Mayor, Tim Kurzbach (46 SPD party) writes on Facebook: "This evening, all of us in Solingen are in shock, fright, and great sadness. We wanted to celebrate our city anniversary together and now have deaths and injuries to mourn. It breaks my heart that an attack has come to our city. I have tears in my eyes when I think of those we have lost. I pray for all who are fighting for their lives."

It was supposed to last until Sunday. In the announcement, it states: "Central Solingen will be a big party mile. From Neumarkt past Fronhof to Muhlenplatz (square) there will be celebrations.  In the streets, visitors expect a program with music, cabaret, acrobatics, handicrafts, entertainment for children, and much more. Over three days, 80,000 visitors are expected.

*Update: Here is the BILD video with English subtitles added. Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes for subtitling. Translation by Fousesquawk.

*Update: The Solinger Tageblatt is reporting that a 15-year-old is in custody and is charged, at this point, for failing to report a planned crime. It appears that a witness overheard a conversation by the suspect and another person discussing details connected to the crime-before it happened. Police consider the actual stabber to still be at large and are not ruling out terror as a motive.

Northwestern University's Cosmetic Reforms

Michael Schill

Northwestern University President Michael Schill, another one of those university administrators under fire for allowing his campus to be taken over by the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, pro-Hamas brownshirts, and who acquitted himself so poorly in testifying before Congress last May, has announced a series of new measures designed to "combat anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racism".  On the surface, they sound positive enough, but when you really think of it, it's just more of the same old blah, blah, blah, woof woof woof, quack quack quack. The campus newspaper, the Daily Northwestern, has an article running on Schill's new " measures".

"New resources will include a new religious literacy program housed in the Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Office, unspecified “investments in public safety personnel and infrastructure,” hiring in the Office of Community Standards and expanded efforts to facilitate difficult conversations, including through the Kellogg School of Management’s new Center for Enlightened Disagreement."

-Daily Northwestern

As if DEI is part of the solution. In fact, it is part of the problem. Jews have no voice under DEI's philosophy, which considers them merely as "privileged whites". DEI is worse than useless and a waste of money and other resources; it is divisive.

And how about this Center for Enlightened Disagreement? I wonder how much this is going to cost in terms of construction, and 6-figure salaries for administrators, deans, or whatever they will be called. More bureaucracy and more money down the drain.

And, as always, academia must always couple the topic of anti-Semitism with that of Islamophobia, a recently-coined term invented by Islamists to silence any criticism of Islam, Islamist organizations, and any discussion of Islamic links to terror. In contrast, anti-Semitism has been with us for millennia. More importantly, it is Jewish students who are being harassed and bullied on campuses, not Muslims. While not all Muslims in universities are guilty of anti-Jewish targeting, most of the cases of targeting involve Muslim students.

Too bad that none of Schill's "measures" include expelling students who engage in anti-Semitic harassment and disruption of Jewish events. Too bad that none of Schill's "measures" include firing radical professors who indoctrinate their students in the classroom and stir up hatred against Jews in general.

It's window dressing. It's putting lipstick on the pig. This guy needs to go.

Germany: Turkish Man Shot to Death at Frankfurt Train Station- Suspect Arrested

Hat tip Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna for subtitling.

-Algemeen Dagblad (Nl)

Around 9 pm, Tuesday night, there was a deadly shooting at the Frankfurt-am-Main central train station. Both the victim (27) and the shooter (54) are Turkish nationals. The shooting was execution style. The shooter walked up behind the victim and shot him in the head before walking away only to be captured trying to board a train. The motive is not known.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has an article on the incident, which is not yet translated into English.

The Dutch newspaper, Algemeen Dagblad, has published a video of the shooting with Dutch captions. (The actual instant of the shooting is cut out.) The video is translated by Fousesquawk. The translated version can be viewed here.

The DNC and the Godfather, Part 4

 Watching the masked ball in Chicago this week,  I am reminded of all those stereotypical Mafia funerals, where the Mafia don gets wiped out by his enemies-who all show up to the funeral to "pay their respects" with  funeral wreathes and all the other bells and whistles. This was portayed brilliantly in the Godfather when Vito Corleone was assassinated by rival mobsters who, naturally, showed up at the funeral, paying their respects, nodding to Michael Corleone as he looked knowingly back at them.

That is what is happening in Chicago as everybody in the convention hall pays their respects to 'The Big Guy", Joe Biden, who they unceremoniously stabbed in the back and forced from the race. Yet, they come to his funeral in Chicago and proclaim their love and gratitude to him. What hypocrisy!

Don't you see the parallels?

Rutgers Suspends SJP till July 2025

About a week ago, I heard through the grapevine that the Rutgers chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (New Brunswick campus) was going to be suspended beginning the fall quarter. That is in fact the case. The campus newspaper, The Daily Targum, is reporting that the suspension will run to July 4, 2025. It appears that, as yet, SJP has made no response. I am sure one is forthcoming that will go something like this:

This is another piece of encouraging news, but this suspension should be permanent and apply to every campus in the country.

Quick Observations About Day 2 of the DNC

 The highlights of the evening at the DNC for Day 2 were clearly the speeches given by the Obamas. Michelle Obama is quite the public speaker. The only drawback, in my view, was when she started talking about present-day discrimination against black people. Those words would have been more appropriate 60-70 years ago, especially from one who has had so much opportunity in the country in terms of education, wealth, and status.

Former President Obama was at times vintage Obama in his delivery and words, but, as has so often been the case, when he delves into mocking the opposition, the quality of his delivery goes down, and I'm not just talking about content, but his style itself. The low point, at least for a former president, was when he talked about people "obsessing about crowd size," in reference to Trump, while using his hands to make the punch line. Not very presidential. Since this is a family blog, I won't go into any further detail, but here's a clue from one of Joe Biden's famous quotes when he was vice president:

"That's a big f----' deal."

And last night, Michelle called Trump "unpresidential" (which he so often is).  I may be nitpicking here, but just sayin'.

It is highly ironic that the messaging of the Democrats is so contradictory. They talk about how much they love America, yet complain about all that's wrong with the country, as if we were living in Venezuela. They talk about all the great changes they will make, yet forget that it is their party that is  in power. It is President Biden and Vice President Harris who have been in office for the past 3-1/2 years, yet Harris goes on and on about all the things she will do on Day One of her presidency. Why haven't they done it?

Of course, I have not listened to each and every speech at the convention, but I have heard only one reference to the ugly scenes happening just blocks away from the convention site, (which got much worse last night). That came from Biden in his loud, angry diatribe (and that is exactly what it was) on Monday night. When referring to the protesters, he said only: "They have a point!".

Really?

But to conclude, the Dems can bring out all the great speakers they want (I don't know who is left), but they cannot change the fact that Biden and Harris have made a mess of this country in the last 3-1/2 years. Their pitch is simply "More of the same". Finally, should Trump win in November, the Republican party would do well to start preparing for Michelle Obama in 2028.

The National Lawyers Guild and Chicago

This article first appeared in New English Review.

*You should note that the first link below by Fox News has been updated by Fox. The article about NLG can still be found in that link by scrolling down on the right.

The Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) has condemned what it calls excessive force by the Chicago Police Department for their actions yesterday against protesters at the DNC convention. 

We all saw the images of how pro-Palestinian protesters breached the outer security fence and were pushed back, or in some cases, arrested by police. In addition to breaching the security fence, rocks, sticks, and other objects were thrown at police.

Many of you may not be aware of who the National Lawyers Guild is. It is an organization founded in 1937, basically as a legal arm of the Communist Party USA. They championed many liberal causes (some positive, such as ending segregation in the military), but over the years, they have championed almost every far-left extremist cause you can imagine.

One of their principal causes today is the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and not surprisingly, they are 100% on the Palestinian side, even after the horrors of the Hamas terrorist attack of last October 7. They routinely send their people to pro-Palestinian events in cities and on campuses wearing distinctive lime green baseball caps, with the words, "National Lawyers Guild-"Legal observer", written on the front. Their purpose is to document any improper actions by police or pro-Israel counter-protesters and offer legal assistance (to the pro-Palestinians).

I have witnessed many Israeli-Palestinian-themed events at the University of California at Irvine during the time I was teaching there (1998-2016) and beyond. In UC Irvine's case, I have personally witnessed and spoken to these NLG people who identified themselves as also being affiliated with the UC Irvine Law School. (Indeed, the Guild has had a documented affiliation with the UC Irvine Law School, as well as many others.) I also have attended a pro-Palestinian speech by NLG Los Angeles chapter president, James Lafferty at UC Irvine.

If you look closely at photos and videos of last night's protest in Chicago, you can pick out the ones in the lime green caps. You can also find their presence at countless other anti-Israel events.

Now they have inserted themselves into the Chicago protests. In reading their words, one should consider the history of their organization and compare their statements to the videos we witnessed of how the police handled the situation on Monday. In other words, the National Lawyers Guild has an agenda.

Things Are Heating up in Chicago

I am posting a video from Fox News showing the situation in Chicago this evening. Thousands of protesters, mostly pro-Hamas, are marching in Chicago and it looks like it's going to be a long night tonight and for the whole convention. Some protesters briefly breached a security fence leading to the convention site, and Fox reports that some threw sticks at police. At least one Hamas flag has been seen, and there have been some arrests. A Fox reporter interviewed a middle-aged Middle Eastern man carrying the Hamas flag. He confirmed that he supported Hamas and supported October 7.

The reason I am posting the video (which may be taken down eventually, as Fox often does), is not because you need to come to this site to see such videos. Just turn on your TV. However, I want to highlight a couple of items of interest in the video. First of all, count the number of American flags you see. I counted one, and I was surprised at that. Secondly, at the1:05 mark, the 1:13 mark, the 2:24 mark, and the 2:44 mark to the end of the video, you will see (3) females wearing lime green baseball caps. Those are "legal observers" for the radical-left legal organization, the National Lawyers Guild. You will see them at most of these pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel, anti-American protests. They are there looking for the police or counter-protesters to do something wrong. They totally ignore the violence and destruction carried out by the pro-Hamas mobs.

Tonight, Fox's Bill Hemmer reported that a Jewish group had applied for a march permit to support Israel during the convention. They were denied. They have re-applied two times and have not yet heard back from the city. 

Chicago Will Be a Sea of Red/Green

                                                                         (The blue and yellow flag is that of Bosnia-Herzegovina.)

The DNC opens up its national convention today in  Chicago, and the crazies and loons are pouring into the Windy City. It will be a combination of pro-Palestinian loons and Islamists shouting "From the river to the sea" and "Allahu akhbar" (green), along with assorted Antifa, Marxists, and anarchists (red).  We can expect thousands of those Palestinian flags and keffiyas-hopefully being led into paddy wagons.  Violence and street battles with police are almost guaranteed. Merchants downtown are boarding up their shop windows in anticipation. Whether this will match the riots at the 1968 Democrat convention in Chicago remains to be seen.

Ironically, the DNC will be featuring a pro-Palestinian panel discussion on the first day of the convention. Here is an article by the leftist site, Common Dreams, describing the event. Whether this was already planned because, after all, that's who they are mostly sympathetic with, or it is just to placate the little rascals, I don't know. At any rate, it will likely boomerang since the "Killer Kamala" posters are already on display. To them, the stance of the Biden-Harris administration toward the Gaza fighting is not deemed sufficiently anti-Israel.

I don't want to see anyone hurt or killed, and I never condone the destruction of property. But if it does happen, which I think it will, hopefully, it will be a lesson to the public at large. I hope they will remember that it was Governor Tim Walz who refused to send in the National Guard in 2020 when Minneapolis was burning until it had burned for three days. In addition, it was then-Senator Kamala Harris who organized a bail fund for the rioters that year. If Chicago sees riots this week, it will truly be a case of the chickens coming home to roost for the Dems.

Petition Against Academic Boycotts

 Recently, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) reversed many years of opposition to academic boycotts. The ongoing efforts of the BDS crowd to boycott Israel is the prime example of academic boycotts today. In effect, this would stop universities in the US from having academic exchange relationships with Israeli universities, student exchange programs, visiting professors, and other actions designed to weaken and discredit the Jewish state internationally.

Here is a petition that has been signed to date by over 2,000 scholars and academics. If you are affiliated with academia, I urge you to sign this petition and pass it on to your academic colleagues.

The petition was initiated by the following:

Ronald Krebs, Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Minnesota

Cary Nelson, Jubilee Professor of Arts & Sciences Emeritus, English Department, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Ron Hassner, Professor, Political Science, U.C. Berkeley

Argentina: Police Bust Terror Cell Planning Attacks Against Jewish Institutions

Mendoza, Argentina

With all the reporting that we do about jihad and crime in Europe, let us not forget that South America is also being infected by the jihadist threat albeit to a lesser extent. 

Two days ago in Mendoza, Argentina, federal police arrested 7 members of an Islamist cell that was planning to carry out terrorist attacks against Jewish targets in Mendoza. At what point do we have to conclude that the jihadists are carrying out a worldwide war against Jews in general?

The below article from La Nacion (Argentina) is translated by Fousesquawk.

Note: DAIA (Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations)

PFA (Argentina Federal Police)

PFA operation. Seven members of a cell planning attacks against Jewish community arrested

The investigation began after a complaint from the DAIA regarding threats

16 August 2024 at 19:46

Caption: One of the suspects detained in Mendoza

Seven suspects were arrested in the last few hours in an anti-terrorist operation carried out by the Argentina Federal Police. According to official information, the arrestees were planning to "carry out separate attacks in Mendoza."

The procedures were conducted by members of the Anti-Terrorist Investigation Unit of the Argentina Federal Police.

The Ministry of Security reported that "the investigation was initiated by a complaint from the Department of Community Assistance of the DAIA as a result of threats against a journalist in the Jewish community in Mendoza. In the first place, the agents of the Departmental Unit of Anti-Terrorist Investigation of the Superintendent of Federal Investigations first identified a man who carried out attacks and then were able to locate the rest of the radicalized Islamist group."

Caption: (Police) arrested suspects planning attacks in Mendoza

-Ministry of Security

The (investigation) determined that these suspects had active participation in closed networks of the instant messaging services Telegram and WhatsApp, in which they spread messages with "anti-Christian and anti-Jewish expressions". 

It was also established that in this exchange of messages, there existed the planning of attacks in Mendoza, as well as content connected to terrorist organizations like the Islamic State and the Taliban Emirate of Afghanistan.

"After carrying out criminal intelligence tasks, and the interdisciplinary work of the separate areas of the PFA, the identification of all the suspects was successful," stated the Ministry of Security in a press release.

Caption: Weapons were found in the raids in Mendoza

Eight raids were ordered on the members' residences, and they were detained at the Cristo Redentor border crossing and the International Airport of Ezeiza. As a result, a great quantity of firearms (shotguns, rifles, and revolvers), bladed weapons (knives, daggers, Japanese swords), electronic devices (cell phones, computers, game consoles), were seized, as well as literature of Salafist origin.

The case is being handled by the First Federal Court of Mendoza, headed by Marcelo Garnica with the participation of prosecutor Fernando Alcarez.