- Title: Police investigate explosions at mosque and congress centre in Dresden
- Date: 27th September 2016
- Summary: DRESDEN, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF DITIB MOSQUE OF THE DRESDEN TURKISH ISLAMIC COMMUNITY, WHERE BOMB WENT OFF MOSQUE SIGN READING: DITIB MOSQUE OF THE DRESDEN TURKISH ISLAMIC COMMUNITY POLICE OUTSIDE MOSQUE POLICE CORDON/BURNT DOOR VARIOUS OF BURNT DOOR SECURITY CAMERA PEOPLE AT CORDON POLICE CAR (SOUNDBITE) (German) MOSQUE FOUNDER, MEHMET DEMIRBAS, SAYING: "This can happen anywhere. We have been expecting something like this for a long time. A few glass panes have been broken in the past, or graffiti on the wall. But this is the first time something like this has happened. Hopefully it will be the last time and we carry on happily living in Dresden. It can happen in Istanbul, in Paris, in Berlin. It can also happen in Dresden. We have to stay alert and keep our eyes open and stop someone trying this in future." POLICE PUTTING UP CORDON VARIOUS OF POLICE PLACING FORENSIC MARKER CONES (SOUNDBITE) (German) LEIPZIG CHIEF OF POLICE AND HEAD OF SAXONY DEFENCE OPERATIONS, BERND MERBITZ, SAYING: "It took place yesterday evening. The Dresden police determined that an incident occurred at two locations. Here at the mosque in the Huehndorfer Street and at the Congress Centre. First there was a bang, a sign that there had been an attack using explosive agents. Immediately after the Dresden police put everything in motion." 13 CAMERAMAN STANDING AT VAN (SOUNDBITE) (German) LEIPZIG CHIEF OF POLICE AND HEAD OF SAXONY DEFENCE OPERATIONS, BERND MERBITZ, SAYING: "Of course these two events will lead us to look even more rigorously at the security situation. But I caution against hysteria. Quite the opposite, the Saxony police and other police units who are helping with this event will make sure that the celebrations are able to go ahead." PEOPLE STANDING AT CORDON POLICE CORDON BERLIN, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) PEOPLE GATHERED FOR ISLAM CONFERENCE IN BERLIN MEDIA FILMING GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER THOMAS DE MAIZIERE WALKING UP TO STAGE MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER THOMAS DE MAIZIERE, SAYING: "The murderers of international terrorism are abusing Islam to defend their actions. Aggression, including that against followers of Islam in Germany, is on the rise, so it is even more appalling that an explosives attack took place yesterday evening in Dresden at a DiTiB mosque and a congress centre, just one day before the tenth anniversary of the German-Islam conference and a few days before the celebrations for German unity. Thank God there were no serious injuries but we do not want this in Germany regardless of who is being targeted." GERMAN-ISLAM CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 12th October 2016 12:01
- Keywords: mosque bomb explosion Dresden Thomas de Maiziere
- Location: DRESDEN AND BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: DRESDEN AND BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA00151CD6X3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Two improvised bombs exploded in the eastern German city of Dresden on Monday evening (September 26) - one at a mosque and one at an international conference centre - but no one was injured, police said on Tuesday (September 27).
Mehmet Demirbas, founder of the Dresden mosque of the Turkish Islamic Community that was targeted said neighbours had described a young man around 18 years of age, wearing a black helmet putting a petrol bomb on the doorstep and then leaving in a waiting car.
Police, who have not yet received any claims of responsibility, said they were presuming the motives were xenophobic.
"This can happen anywhere. We have been expecting something like this for a long time. A few glass panes have been broken in the past, or graffiti on the wall. But this is the first time something like this has happened. Hopefully it will be the last time and we carry on happily living in Dresden. It can happen in Istanbul, in Paris, in Berlin. It can also happen in Dresden. We have to stay alert and keep our eyes open and stop someone trying this in future," Demirbas told Reuters from outside the mosque.
Police are also looking into the possibility there was a link to celebrations planned for the coming weekend in the city to mark the anniversary of German reunification on October 3, 1990.
"Of course these two events will lead us to look even more rigorously at the security situation. But I caution against hysteria. Quite the opposite, the Saxony police and other police units who are helping with this event will make sure that the celebrations are able to go ahead," Leipzig Chief of Police Bernd Merbitz said.
At the time of the first explosion, the imam of the mosque was inside with his wife and sons but they were not hurt. Damage was, however, done to the building through pressure waves.
Soon after, the International Congress Centre was damaged by a home-made device and the bar of a nearby hotel was evacuated.
During the night, police officers were sent to protect other mosques in the city.
Dresden was the cradle of the anti-Islam PEGIDA grassroots movement whose weekly rallies attracted around 20,000 supporters at the height of its popularity at the start of 2015.
The influx of about 1 million migrants to Germany last year has increased social tensions, especially in eastern Germany where there have been some high-profile attacks on refugee shelters. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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