Written by iJahNaija Wenonah, CNN
The shooting at a German festival maimed dozens and left nine dead on Saturday, and the death toll is likely to rise as scores remain in critical condition.
The shooter, 39-year-old suspect Anis Amri, was shot dead by Italian police in Milan after a three-day manhunt. Amri had reportedly cut his hand in a knife fight with police in October, and was later released without charges.
Amri fled Germany after committing an act of terrorism last year, by driving a truck into crowds in Berlin and killing 12 people.
Details emerging about Amri reveal a frightening and self-determined character: he was a refugee who had become radicalized. He was legally in Germany as a Tunisian asylum seeker who in 2015 overstayed his welcome.
This, alongside the sudden death of the perpetrator at the end of an Italy-German manhunt, has been used to highlight fears of “soft targets” across Europe.
This scene from early Friday evening shows the interior of a supermarket in Munich that was targeted. REUTERS/Michael Dalder
A real-time Chicago shootout
The attack in the German city of Waukesha has a connection to the city of Orlando, just one day earlier.
In that incident, Alexandre Bissonnette allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” before he opened fire inside the Quebec mosque. He is accused of killing six men and wounding 19 others.
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One of the men inside the building was a Canadian convert to Islam. Wearing a hoodie with a printing suggesting the Quebec incident was planned, police said Bissonnette’s heavily-armed attack was designed to inflict maximum pain.
The same day, a gunman went on a shooting rampage in downtown Chicago, which left several people injured and the popular tourist district on lockdown for hours.
Police say suspect Delante Moore, 21, shouted “Allahu Akbar” after opening fire at a crowded park on Friday night. Seven people were injured, one seriously.
This scene shows the aftermath of the fatal shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue. John J. Kim/Getty Images
By daybreak, investigators believed they had arrested the man who was wanted in connection with the deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
The shooting has sparked a heated debate over US gun laws after the shooting victims included an 84-year-old grandmother and five family members.
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