The chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany says he is shocked by the deadly shooting at the Israeli consulate in Munich.
“According to the latest information, it appears to be another Islamic attack, like last week in Solingen, where three people were murdered by a hitman,” said Josef Schuster.
Schuster’s comments followed reports from the Austrian Press Agency that the 18-year-old suspect was suspected of having ties to the terrorist group Islamic State.
Authorities have not yet released a motive for the attack, which occurred on the anniversary of the 1972 Munich massacre, in which 11 Israelis were killed by Palestinian terrorists during the Olympic Games.
Schuster added: “We are in a permanent state of tension and threat. We must not allow the enemies of the open society to destroy our freedom and our lives.”
Charlotte Knobloch, chairwoman of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, also commented on the shooting.
“The sense of insecurity will be further increased by this incident, not only in the Jewish community. The task for those with political responsibility is therefore very clear: violent extremism must be driven out of the public sphere again; otherwise it would mean the end of our open society,” said Knobloch.
