The foundation stone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy for immigrants was prised out by an 18-year-old German-Iranian who shot nine people outside a shopping mall in Munich. Although the incident is being described as a terror attack in social media and an accusing finger pointed at Islamic terrorism, police have confirmed that the boy was born in Germany, had no criminal background or links with Islamic militants. However, the spate of attacks in France, the latest on Bastille Day, has put Europe on the edge and Merkel is going to come under severe pressure to reverse her policy on immigration. Germans, who are already piqued with having to play host to over a million refugees from Syria, have reacted with fear and anger. The danger here lies in how the present crime is categorised. It could be a crime more in the mould of shootouts that take place in the US, especially at schools, where a disaffected and demented gunman goes on a rampage with no connection to religion. It could also be a terror attack, although the evidence pointing in this direction is flimsy at this point of time. Merkel needs to tread carefully, because right now she is walking on thin ice.
