A video of a hate preacher on the Internet is shocking. The man, who calls himself “Imam Meta”, celebrates the knife attack in Mannheim – and threatens other people with death.
The bloodbath in Mannheim shocked Germany. A man attacked several people with a knife on Mannheim’s market square, including the Islam critic Michael Stürzenberger. The police then shot the attacker.
Six people were injured in the attack and a police officer is in critical condition. The majority of people in the country condemn what happened. Not so the hate preacher who calls himself “Imam Meta” on the Internet.
On the short video portal TikTok, he published a disturbing video in which he celebrates the Mannheim massacre and applauds the assassination attempt on Islam critic Michael Stürzenberger and a police officer.
“Bild” recorded the man’s disturbing words:
“People, finally some good news: This Stürzenberger was stabbed. Inshallah, the boy who stabbed him will get the highest place in paradise. I swear by Allah, I’ll send you money, my friend. I’ll send you money. I’ll send you food, I’ll send you drink, I’ll send you everything. Inshallah, this is what happens to ex-Muslims (…). Inshallah, every critic of Islam. Everyone who criticizes Islam.”
“Bam, bamm, bammm …”
“And this Turk too, this Turk with his hat, with his fucking Atatürk, just wait, you’ll see too, you fucking filthy Turk. Islam, every Islam hater, every Islam hater, that’s what will happen with a knife.”
“Bam, bamm, bammm …”
“Dude, I swear to Allah, he is my role model. This boy is my role model. He even stabs the police in the neck.”
“Bam, bamm, bammm …”
“Two criminal offenses come into consideration here: one is the approval of criminal offenses and the other is the call to commit criminal offenses,” explains Udo Vetter, a lawyer and specialist in criminal law who works primarily as a criminal defense attorney, to FOCUS online.
“The approval, when you justify this crime and say, ‘the perpetrator did everything right, that’s great’, is, in my view, clearly evident in the video.” There is therefore an absolutely strong initial suspicion here, which is important for the further proceedings, where the authorities then have to look, as in any investigation, to see whether this can be substantiated to the extent that charges are brought.
The same applies to incitement to commit crimes, says Vetter. “It is obvious that this criminal offense has been fulfilled.”
But there is a third point: “The possible incitement of hatred.” This also comes into consideration in the hate video. “According to the new version of the incitement paragraph, the violation of the human dignity of individuals is also relevant.”
“At one point he speaks of a Turk. There is initial suspicion of this crime,” says the expert. Overall, it is about incitement, but above all about the approval of crimes and the incitement to commit crimes. “It seems imperative to me that an investigation must be carried out here.”
If the hate preacher is convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
In his hate video, he imitates knife stabbings, threatens known ex-Muslims, the state of Israel and all critics of Islam with death. He also insults a man by calling him a “dirty Turk”. He says: “Just wait, you’ll see.”
The account with the name “Imam Meta” can no longer be found on the short video portal. The video has also been deleted.
As “Bild” reports, the man who spreads hatred around the world has been identified. The Baden-Württemberg State Office of Criminal Investigation and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution have been called in. The investigation is ongoing.
Politicians from all parties are shocked by the video. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser told Bild: “Glorifying the murderous knife attack is disgusting and inhumane. Anyone who does this must be prosecuted with the full force of the criminal law,” said the SPD politician. “Our security authorities are consistently investigating this.”
Wolfgang Kubicki also expressed his shock in the Bild newspaper: “The hatred that has broken out after the terrible attack is disgusting and repulsive,” said the FDP politician. However, this is not surprising. “We have been talking about parallel societies and the influx of Islamists for decades. Every substantive proposal to tackle the problem politically is immediately talked down and often labelled as ‘right-wing’ and thus, in the logic of too many journalists, worthy of condemnation.”
CDU politician Thomas Strobl promised to clarify the matter in the “Bild” newspaper: “The police and the judiciary are relentlessly pursuing this. This is precisely why the State Criminal Police Office has already brought together IT investigators centrally for the current investigations,” said the Interior Minister of Baden-Württemberg. “Such statements after such an act are abhorrent, vile and disgusting. In our country, crimes – especially murder – are punished with the full force of the law and not celebrated. In a video like this, you can see a crime, such as incitement to murder, and anyone who thinks they can act unpunished from the anonymity of the Internet is seriously mistaken!”
Green Party politician Konstantin von Notz also called for consequences in the “Bild” newspaper: “Anyone who publicly celebrates such a bestial act must immediately face severe consequences. This behavior must not be tolerated and must result in swift criminal proceedings.”
CSU man Alexander Dobrindt is calling on Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser to take tougher action against Islamists in the “Bild” newspaper: “Terror suspects, Islamist agitators and threats should be imprisoned, placed in preventive detention or deported. Germany needs a tough course against this Islamist agitation and calls for violence with minimum prison sentences for caliphate extremists, cancellation of social benefits, loss of residence permits or dual citizenship.”
Heavy rain, high water, flooding – the storm has southern Germany firmly in its grip. The water levels have reached the heights of a once-in-a-century flood. Dams are breaking. Places are being evacuated. Read everything you need to know in the weather ticker.
Many people can easily imagine spending their retirement abroad. However, the dream can also go really wrong, as in the case of Christine, who is stuck in Thailand.