Global News Podcast - Islamic State claim responsibility for Germany stabbing

Episode Date: August 25, 2024

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a mass stabbing in Germany, saying it was to avenge suffering in Gaza. Also: French police arrest a man in connection with an explosion outside a synagogue.

Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are supported by advertising. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Thank you. Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Paul Moss, and in the early hours of Sunday, the 25th of August, these are our main stories.

Islamic State has said the man who carried out a mass stabbing in Germany was one of their soldiers out to avenge the suffering of Muslims in Gaza. Meanwhile, in France, police are investigating a bomb attack on a synagogue. And Ukraine has marked Independence Day with President Zelensky announcing a large prisoner exchange with Russia. Also in this podcast, Our core value is safety and it is our North Star. Why two astronauts stranded in the International Space Station won't be coming back until next year. And the TikTok star driving a cucumber shortage in Iceland.

The city of Zollingen in Western Germany has a long-standing claim to fame. For hundreds of years, it's been known as a manufacturing hub for swords and later knives of all kinds. It's nicknamed the City of Blades. Well, that now seems horribly ironic, with Solingen the site of a mass stabbing. It happened on Friday evening during celebrations of the city's 650th anniversary. A man began stabbing people apparently at random. Three were killed, eight others were left seriously injured. Among those attending was Annie Stosberg, a journalist with the local radio station RSG. Suddenly the music stopped and then a man came on stage and he explained that there was a stamping not far

away from us. And he said, please don't panic, but go home because we don't know where the man is, who the man is. Police in Germany arrested two people, including a 15-year-old boy in relation to the attack. Then, shortly before recording this podcast, the German authorities announced that another suspect had been arrested. The media are reporting that he handed himself into a police patrol, saying, I am the man you're looking for. Before this, the attack was claimed by the Islamic State Group. Unusual, as IS doesn't usually claim responsibility for attacks while the perpetrator is alive and at large. And as our jihadist correspondent, Mayna Alami, explained to me,

it's unclear what form of involvement with IS the perpetrator is supposed to have had. It could be either that they actually orchestrated it, or in most cases with these attacks in the West, it's usually that they would be inspired by IS, and the group would then, I guess, opportunistically take responsibility for the attack. And they recently put out a message saying that even if attackers in the West and other parts of the world, even if they are not officially members of the group, they still are, in their words, one of us, because they were inspired by us, because they have loyalty to us and to IS and to their ideology. So that would make them followers of IS.

So it seems that this attack might be in response to the incitement this year that IS repeatedly put out, especially through its leadership messages, calling for revenge attacks in the West in response to the Israeli military operation in Gaza. We had seen Islamic State as perhaps the first group like that, which was actually taking territory in the Middle East. Have they now reverted to the behavior of other terrorist organizations simply trying to carry out atrocities against countries they don't like? I mean, definitely gone are the days when IS used to, you know, had held territory in the Middle East and they would fight to confront big armies. It has been for many years really hit and run attacks. But also, even when they did hold territory in the Middle East, they still carried out or inspired or directed attacks in the West.

So this has been really an ongoing thing. It's not that they ever stopped, but such attacks definitely were decreased in recent years. But of course, jihadists like Ayas have found a golden opportunity in the war in Gaza to incite, to try to exploit Muslim anger. And a lot of their messages this year have been trying to tie any Muslim actions or revenge to the war in Gaza. Mina Al-Ami. So Islamic State have said the stabbings in Germany were to avenge Muslims in Gaza. And in France, it seems there may also be a link between

a domestic attack this weekend and the situation in the Middle East. Saturday morning saw a car explode outside a synagogue in the southern resort town of La Grande Motte. It seems to have been caused by a gas canister left inside the vehicle. And CCTV footage apparently connects the blast with a man seen outside draped in a Palestinian flag. A policeman was injured in the blast, which was witnessed by a local resident, Karam Pakin. I came out of my house and got into my car to drive off, and all of a sudden there was a loud noise that I could hear when I was leaving my house in the car. Then I saw a lot of vehicles, especially gendarmerie and municipal

police, who arrived very quickly. At the time, I didn't understand what had happened because there were still traffic jams everywhere. Afterwards, I found out exactly what had happened and it's really scary. The French President Emmanuel Macron has described the explosion as terrorism and the country's Prime minister was certain what was behind it. Gabrielle Attal posted on social media that this was an anti-Semitic act targeting what he called out Jewish fellow citizens. The BBC's reporter in the region, Chris Bachman, said the attack could easily have been far more devastating. A camster exploded at 8am French time, and that is the winter time when that synagogue usually holds services.

And in summer, it's at 9. So you can imagine if people had been going into that service at 8 a.m., I've seen some of the pictures of the flames, then we really would have had an absolute tragedy in our hands. The rabbi was in preparing for the service along with four other people, and they were unharmed. The police officer who was doing his rounds was going around there just before, an hour before the service. He was the one who was doing his rounds was going around there just before, an hour before the service. He was the one who was caught in the blasts in hospital and his condition's improving as we speak tonight.

There was video cameras, as there are in front of every synagogue, as far as I'm aware, in France, and they have caught images of a man wearing a Palestinian flag with some sort of fuel in a bottle fleeing the scene, and his face is not covered up. So there are 200 officers as I speak to you, the Prime Minister has announced 200 police officers are searching for him right now. So an individual suspect perhaps identified, but any suggestion of any group or organisation

that might be behind this? No, Paul, and you know this country pretty well as well. Anytime there's tension in the Middle East, it spills over, especially into France. Why? Because it has the biggest Muslim population in Europe and the biggest Jewish population in Europe. So anytime there's conflict or tension in the Middle East, it spills over here. It could be one person. It could be an organisation. At this point, we just don't know. Chris Bachman, and this is a developing story.

As we record this podcast, we're hearing reports that someone has been arrested in connection with that explosion in La Grande Motte. Now, Ukraine's President Zelensky has been in an unusually pugnacious mood. In a speech to mark Ukraine's Independence Day, he called Vladimir Putin a sick man from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with a red button. And Russia, he warned, will know what retribution is. Ukrainians always pay back their debts. And whoever wished misery upon our land shall find it in his own home. With interest, whoever seeks to sow evil on our land will reap its fruits on his own territory.

Mr Zelensky also announced a new prisoner exchange to coincide with the celebrations. 115 Ukrainians are now home after being swapped with the same number of Russians. Footage showed the prisoners wrapped in Ukrainian flags, singing the national anthem. The president also announced new legislation banning the activities of religious groups linked to Russia, targeting the ties between Russia and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Independence Day has become more important to many Ukrainians since the invasion. Kateryna Babhina is one of Ukraine's best-known poets. She told us why the date meant so much to her. I was only five when Ukraine got the independence and I was kind of taking it for granted as during all my conscious life, Ukraine was an independent state.

So I used to make fun of people who would say that our fight for the independence is not over. And I thought instead that we only have to fight against corruption. We have to work to develop our culture, business, you know, to build our country. But I said that I thought that everything was actually set nicely in 1991. However, I had to reconsider this. My ex-husband and father of my child is at the front line. He's been there by choice since the very beginning of the full-scale invasion. And we speak every day.

And it's an important day for them too, but also it's a usual day. His choice is to stay there either until Ukraine is back in its borders and free and safe or until the end of his life. Everything I'm writing about now has been seen and shown through the prism of war. And to be honest, I think that's going to remain even after the war is over, because that's a life-changing experience. And that's what it does to your mind. I only want Ukraine to gain back its border. People get back their safety, provide our own policy without any influence or fear from the side of Russia. That's basically all we need. I'm more than sure Ukraine has no ambitions of an invader.

That's not us. Katerina Babkina. When it comes to the subject of Israel and Palestine, there's not exactly an overwhelming degree of international consensus. But there's one thing you will hear about this contentious issue from governments across the Middle East and from the US and countries in Europe. All roughly agree that lasting peace in the region will only come if Palestinians have a viable state. And yet there are some in the Israeli government who've explicitly said they don't want a Palestinian state. And yet there are some in the Israeli government who've explicitly said they don't want a Palestinian state, and they say they have a way to prevent it. Since the latest war in Gaza began, more Israeli settlements have been built in the West Bank, and right-wingers in Israel's government boast this will make the creation of a Palestinian state impossible. As our Middle East

correspondent Yılan Nel reports. I'm a farmer by default, you know. Everybody is a farmer. Engineer or a mayor, he's a farmer. In this picturesque Palestinian village, life carries on as it has for centuries, with its natural spring used to irrigate the ancient terraces. It's part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bateri is famous with the eggplants and we call it Bateri. When you go to the market, they are shouting, saying, Bateri, Bateri, for sale. Ghassan Olyan is proud of his land, but now part is being taken for a brand new Israeli settlement. Under international law, all settlements are considered illegal. They are not caring about the international law or the local law and even the God's law. They are stealing our land to build their dreams on our catastrophe. Nearby, activists join a protest by the Kassir family. Last month, Israeli soldiers forced them off their land and settlers moved in.

Alice Kassir says far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, who now has broad control over policy here, is tightening Israel's hold on the West Bank. They took advantage of the war because all eyes on Gaza. Smotrich established this before a few days ago about the new settlement, but we can see in the map that this area is not included. It's really hard because you're fighting a system. Secretly recorded by an Israeli anti-occupation group, Bezalel Smotrich recently laid out his bureaucratic steps towards de facto annexation of the West Bank.

Settlement construction has already been turbocharged. For Israel's religious nationalists, the Bible is the Jewish people's deed to this land. And Ohad Tal, an MP from Mr Smotrich's party, tells us they're fighting against the creation of a Palestinian state, part of the longtime international formula for peace here. The failed policy of giving parts of our land to the Palestinians only brought terror and bloodshed to the Palestinians and to Israelis.

We've stopped doing that. What are you doing here? We're working for BBC. While recording by a settler outpost in the World Heritage Site, our BBC team is stopped by two armed men. One is masked and in a military uniform. He speaks English with a British accent. Are you living here or are you in the army? No comment.

Are you British? Yes. OK. I'll call my superiors, see what we're doing with you. Can I have my ID back? In a minute. They ordered us to leave. UNESCO says it's concerned by the settlers' plans around Batyr. But for Palestinians, this is not just about preserving an historic site. It's about keeping hope for the

future. Yilan Nel. Coming up in this podcast... Fans pay their slightly out-of-tune respects to the late actor and singer Alan Delon. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts.

It's nearly three weeks since the Bangladeshi Prime Minister was ousted by student protests. More than 450 people died in the unrest, many shot dead by police. And now a team from the United Nations is assessing whether this constitutes a violation of human rights which needs to be investigated. Many of the students who took part in the demonstrations were women. The BBC's Akbar Hossein has been speaking to some of them. It's pouring rain in this leafy and quiet neighbourhood in Dhaka. The Ahmed family is still in awe of what they have been able to achieve. They removed a leader who ruled the country with an iron grip. And it's the young, digital generation that led the way,

even when the internet went dark. We kind of understood that the internet would go away because there were many signs. So it kind of formed a chain through which we passed on information to each other so that we were always aware of what was going on. Riddhima and her friends were chased and attacked, but they kept going back to the streets. And instead of holding her back, her mother Saima joined them.

When we saw that many kids were actually tortured, there were bullets on them. Every kid is our kid. That's a mother's instinct. So we thought that if we want to protect our kid, if we want to see future of our kid, we have to protest and we have to allow our kid to be there. Even though women in Bangladesh have been at the forefront of protest movements for generations, this time things are different. Students are chased by the police. I met Farzana Leo, a single mother and professional bodybuilder, at her local gym. No force can stop a revolution, she says, when mothers join their children in their fight. But this change has come at a price.

I saw a helicopter really close to the ground. at one point me and my sister both got shot. This is 19-year-old Mumtahina. She and her cousin's sister Aisha were shot in their bedroom of their ninth floor apartment. The bullet came through the balcony, the family believes, from a police helicopter. I cannot stand. I cannot walk. I have no idea how long it will take to heal myself completely. It is going to affect me probably for the rest of my life. The Haseena government issued a statement at the time rejecting all claims of people being shot from helicopters. In Uttara, north of the capital Dhaka, doctors risked arrest to come forward and help. Major Hafiz al-Islam, a former army doctor,

said that he had never faced so many casualties with bullet injuries. I can mention a student here, Milestone School, secondary school. She got a bullet injuryin direct to her head. It's been a few days and life is almost back to normal in Dhaka. But students are still out on the streets, calling for democracy, religious harmony and justice. A message to those who are in charge and politicians who will come to power in future.

We have achieved a new Bangladesh and we have to reform it in our way as our generation has achieved it. We are the upcoming generation to reform this country in another way, to take this country in another way. Now the movement is about justice. The women and men of Bangladesh know the price they paid to achieve this victory. And they won't let go easily. On the one hand, we now have what I suppose we could call a good news story. 20 medical students who were kidnapped in Nigeria have been rescued. Police there congratulated themselves for what they said was a professional job carried out by a special tactical squad which was dispatched to

the central state of Benu, where the students were snatched. But on the other hand, this is just one incident in what seems to be an epidemic of kidnapping in Nigeria, with literally thousands now taking place every year. Our correspondent Richard Kugoi told me how this one began. A group of students, about 20 of them, were travelling from the northern parts of Nigeria. So they were heading to a southern state called Enugu. And the purpose for this, they were just basically going for an annual medical student convention.

So while they were in the north central state of Benu, they were ambushed by armed gunmen. So they were at this particular stretch of road that's really notorious for kidnapping. So that's all we know is that they were ambushed and then they were taken captive and they were being held in a nearby forest. So how did the police then manage to locate them? So details in terms of how the security forces managed to secure their release, it's not very clear because when that question was put to the police spokesperson, what he said is that the release was done tactfully and in a very professional manner. That's all he said. They're insisting that no ransom was paid. Excuse my cynicism, but the authorities always want to say that in kidnapping situations.

Are we sure that no money was handed over in this case? I mean, that's a million dollar question. But the police have been very adamant that no money was exchanged to secure the release of these students. In Nigeria, payment of ransom is illegal. But what we have seen is that among families of people who have been kidnapped, have become very desperate. And to a certain extent, they've gone to lengths of doing crowdfunding, even on social media, because the gunmen were demanding US$32,000 or 5 million naira to release the students. But the Catholic bishops of Nigeria urged members of the public to put a pause to the contributions as they consulted with the security forces.

There are reports that thousands of people are now kidnapped every year in Nigeria. Why has this crime got so out of hand? Poverty has been a big factor in this case. The Nigerian economy hasn't been doing very well and the youth unemployment is very high. And so what we've been seeing, especially in the northern eastern parts of Nigeria, which border, you know, Niger, Cameroon and Chad have got porous borders. And so a lot of people who are involved in this practice, it's just basically a criminal syndicate. So for them, it's an easy way of making money. And so that's part of the reason why we're seeing a surge in the cases of kidnappings in Nigeria. Africa regional editor Richard Kigoy. Here in Britain and across much

of the northern hemisphere we're approaching the end of summer. People who went away for the holidays are preparing to come home, children back to school, parents perhaps back to work. But there's one man and woman who set off on a trip at the start of summer who it seems won't be getting back for some time. Yes, it's those astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who went on what was supposed to be an eight-day trip to the International Space Station back in June. They've now been told they can't be returned until February next year. That's because there were problems with their Boeing spacecraft on the journey out. And as Bill Nelson from NASA explained, they don't want to risk bringing the

astronauts back on it. Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine. And so the decision to keep Butch and Sonny aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeiner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety. Our core value is safety and it is our North Star. NASA's safety first approach still leaves open the question why it's going to take so long to get another rocket up to bring the stranded astronauts home. Our science editor Rebecca Murrell had an explanation. This is basically because of complicated scheduling on the International Space Station. So the SpaceX spacecraft has to be launched in September. It's going to go up there with just two astronauts on board. It's supposed to be carrying four, but two of them are going to stay

at home. It's going to do its stint on the space station and it's scheduled to return in February next year. So it's got the space for Butch and Sonny to come home and it doesn't disrupt the scheduling by having them come home at that planned date. But yeah, it's a long time. I think people have got used to the idea that space travel is now relatively routine, that rockets just go off and come home and they may be hearing you and thinking, well, why can't they send one of the spare ones up there to pick them up and take them back? I mean, it's not far away, the space station. It's not like going to the moon or something like that.

It's just a bit above the Earth. Yeah, I mean, this is something NASA didn't fully anticipate, I guess, because the astronauts went up on a Boeing Starliner spacecraft, but that suffered some malfunctions. It was its test flight. You know, its thrusters weren't working properly. It had a few helium leaks. So NASA has been trying to work out whether that could take the astronauts safely home. And they've deemed that the risk is just too high. But the astronauts always knew, because it's a test flight, that

things can go wrong. I said we've got used to the idea of spaceflight as being almost routine. Has this incident dented that very straightforward approach to space travel that I think a lot of us had got used to? NASA has been very open about the problems that the spacecraft has faced. And that's partly because of the issues they had with the space shuttle programme and of course, the two disasters where astronauts were killed on board their spacecraft. So NASA has been very open about discussing the challenges and the problems and the risks involved. And it's been quite an interesting process to see them kind of work through these problems and come to this quite difficult decision. You know, they wanted the astronauts to come back on the Boeing spacecraft.

Space isn't straightforward. The two astronauts insist they're perfectly happy being up there. But I guess some of us may wonder whether they're putting on a brave face or may being told to put on a brave face by NASA. I mean, it's quite something to set off for an eight day trip and not get back for I think it's gonna be more than eight months. When I think of the birthdays you miss the Christmases. I mean, I would not be happy to have to, you know, be told I'm going to be somewhere for eight days, and then it lasts a lot longer. But then I would not be happy to have to be told I'm going to be somewhere for eight days and then it lasts a lot longer. But then I'm not an astronaut. I'm a mere science editor. You know, this is what these guys do. They love being on the International Space Station.

They're both veteran astronauts. They've both had long duration missions before. So, you know, they say they're happy and I have to say they look pretty happy in all the imagery coming back from the space station. Crucial question, though. Do you know if they get paid overtime? Oh, I don't know. I don't know if they get time off in lieu. Maybe they get to have like a long break at the end when they come home. Rebecca Morrell. Now, whether or not you like cucumbers,

they're not usually a food item that arouses strong feelings. And yet, supermarkets in Iceland have seen an unprecedented surge in demand for cucumbers, suppliers struggling to keep up. And the cause? Well, it's apparently a recipe that went viral, as Stephanie Zachrisson has been finding out. Sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber. Let me show you the best way to do it. Start by slicing your entire cucumber. That's the TikTok creator who might explain why so many supermarket shelves in Iceland are short on cucumbers. In numerous videos, Logan Moffat, a 23-year-old from Ottawa in Canada, shares his favourite ways to eat the crunchy vegetable. Sometimes with some perhaps unexpected flavour pairings like cream cheese and slices of salmon, or one with peanut butter and strawberry jam.

But the one that appears to have gripped users in Iceland includes sesame oil, soy sauce and rice vinegar called sushi cucumber. That video has more than 19 million views and has been picked up by some Icelandic food bloggers too. The supermarket chain Kronan says it has seen a threefold increase in sales of some of the ingredients, with both cucumber and sesame oil selling out in several stores. Rune Christensen is the company's marketing expert. We follow social media very closely and try to catch the trends online. So we look at the products that are becoming popular to decide whether we should buy more of them for our stores. It's not the first time shortages of food products have been attributed to viral trends.

In Norway, customers recently had problems finding popcorn kernels after lots of people used them to grow popcorn grass. In 2019, a viral baked feta pasta by a Finnish food blogger caused an increase in the cheese sales globally. But some experts have played down the viral video's association with the latest shortages. The Icelandic Farming Association said many cucumber farmers replaced their plants at this time of year, often leading to lower supplies of the vegetable. They say the situation is expected to be temporary, so perhaps those craving a crunchy salad might just have to stay cool as a cucumber. Stephanie Zachrisson. And if you want to see what all the fuss is about, head to our website where you'll find a picture of the dish in question

and much more information. The address is bbcnews.com. They take their film stars seriously in France, in life and in death. Saturday saw Alain Delon buried at his home in the village of Duchy, 135 kilometres southeast of Paris. There were just 50 close friends and relatives attending. But with so many members of the public showing up, police had to impose roadblocks near the venue and they closed the airspace above it. Mr Delon was, to be fair, one of the foremost European actors in the 1960s and later, as Sophie Smith reports.

Hundreds of fans stood outside the gates of Alain Delon's manor house to pay their respects to him and his family. The gates were covered with flowers as the late actor's admirers waited for his funeral hearse to arrive. His sons Anthony and Alain came out to greet them. Alain Delon died last Sunday aged 88 after a 70-year career both on and off the screen. Famed for his good looks and acting roles, he was also a producer and singer. He was laid to rest in his garden near his beloved dogs, although the family did not fulfil his wish for his 10-year-old Belgian Malinois to be killed and buried with him. His fans held the long records as they sang one of his most famous songs, Pajol Pajol, with the French-Italian singer Dalida.

That report by Sophie Smith. And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at Global News Pod. This edition was mixed by Nicky Brough and the producer was Isabella Jewell. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Paul Moss. Until next time, goodbye. you can listen to them without ads get current affairs podcasts like global news americast and the global story plus other great bbc podcasts from history to comedy to true crime all ad free simply subscribe to bbc podcast premium on apple podcasts or listen to amazon music with a prime

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