In recent months, a series of suspected Islamist-motivated knife attacks have shaken several cities across Germany. The incidents raise pressing questions about possible connections between perpetrators, ideological motives – and even foreign interference. Investigators and extremism experts see an alarming pattern emerging: the attackers are often young, isolated – and radicalized online.
One of the most symbolic attacks took place on February 21, 2025 – just two days before Germany’s federal election – at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial. Amid the concrete steles commemorating six million murdered Jews, a man approached a Spanish tourist from behind and stabbed him in the throat with a hunting knife while shouting “Allahu akbar.” The victim survived only thanks to emergency surgery. That same evening, a 19-year-old Syrian man turned himself in to the police. Officers found handwritten Quranic verses and a pledge of allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (IS) in his pockets. He told investigators he had acted out of “jihadist and antisemitic motives.”
But Berlin was not an isolated case. Since mid-2024, similar knife attacks have occurred in Mannheim, Solingen, Linz am Rhein, Munich, and most recently Bielefeld. Authorities are investigating potential links but have yet to find concrete evidence of coordinated networks. Even media reports alleging Russian interference ahead of the election – including suspicious search queries from Russian IP addresses days before the Mannheim attack – remain unproven. Intelligence services such as the BND and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution caution against jumping to conclusions: such IP addresses may have originated from VPN services and are not conclusive evidence of Russian involvement.
Still, experts like Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project see a clear pattern: “Most perpetrators were not, or only loosely, connected to networks. They radicalized alone – online.” The phenomenon has a name: “Do-it-yourself Jihad.” Social media platforms are the primary space for radicalization. Content includes videos of extremist preachers, IS propaganda, and graphic images from Gaza – all of which feed a toxic blend of rage, powerlessness, and ideological hatred.
Many attackers are young, impulsive – and mentally unstable. In the case of the January 2025 knife attack targeting a kindergarten group in Aschaffenburg, a court-appointed expert concluded that the suspect was mentally ill and legally not responsible, although he did exhibit Islamist tendencies. A similar mental health factor is being considered in the case of the attack on a Verdi trade union demonstration in Munich in February.
The war in Gaza is acting as a catalyst. Groups such as Muslim Interaktiv and Generation Islam deliberately circulate graphic images and narratives designed to stir anti-Western and anti-Israel sentiment. The message: “You live in enemy territory – resist!” According to investigators, the suspects in the Mannheim, Solingen, and Berlin cases were also partly driven by outrage over the conflict in Gaza.
What concerns authorities most is the age of some of the perpetrators. Over Easter weekend 2024, police arrested four teenagers aged 15 and 16 in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. They had allegedly planned attacks on police stations and churches, having connected via Telegram, shared IS execution videos, and encouraged each other’s hatred. Three were later sentenced to youth detention, and one received a suspended sentence.
In other cases – such as those in Solingen and Mannheim – suspects also communicated via Telegram with individuals believed to have ties to IS, who may have encouraged the attacks. The identities of these possible handlers remain unknown.
Despite the severity of these incidents, Islamist-motivated crimes make up only a small portion of the overall rise in violent crime in Germany. Preliminary data shows that non-German suspects are statistically overrepresented – but also frequently among the victims. Still, violent crimes involving migrants tend to receive disproportionate media and political attention, while attacks by German nationals – such as the recent stabbing spree by a mentally disturbed woman at Hamburg’s main train station – fade from public view more quickly.
The growing trend of radicalization via smartphones is often invisible to family or friends – and difficult for police and intelligence agencies to detect in time. “IS barely needs to recruit actively anymore,” says Schindler. “They post propaganda online – and the algorithm does the rest.”
Another troubling trend: perpetrators increasingly model their attacks on previous incidents. Investigators do not rule out a copycat effect – especially following high-profile or symbolic assaults like the one in Berlin. This poses a major challenge for security agencies: it’s no longer just about identifying concrete threats, but about disrupting a broader wave of youth radicalization unfolding in the digital shadows.
Background: Islamist-Inspired Attacks in Germany Since 2023
- May 2024: Knife attack on police officers in Mannheim – one officer killed.
- August 2024: Attack in Solingen – Islamist motive suspected.
- September 2024: Knife incidents in Linz am Rhein and Munich.
- February 2025: Stabbing at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.
- February 2025: Attack on a Verdi demonstration in Munich.
- June 2025: Knife attack in Bielefeld – motive under investigation.
