RantCrush Top 5: April 27, 2017

A German soldier who posed as a Syrian refugee while simultaneously performing his duties as a soldier intended to carry out a violent attack, German authorities said this morning. The 28-year-old soldier, who hasn’t been named, was stationed near the French-German border. He carried false identification and had applied for asylum back in December of 2015, but didn’t seem to speak any Arabic.

How can a German soldier with a xenophobic background be awarded asylum as Syrian refugee and nobody realizes he doesn’t even speak Arabic?

— Laura Schneider (@alauraschneider) April 27, 2017

The soldier first caught the attention of authorities when he hid a loaded gun in a bathroom at Vienna International Airport in January and later returned to get it. Authorities say he has a xenophobic background and prosecutors suspect he was planning a violent attack and committed weapons violations and fraud. It’s not clear what or who his target was, but it seems clear that he wanted to cast blame on refugees.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.