The German outlet Der Spiegel was able to locate the family of the Syrian man who declared his allegiance to the Islamic State's caliph and carried out the recent terrorist attack in Solingen, Germany. The family originates from Dayr al-Zur but lives in the Tadhamun neighbourhood of Damascus, and the attacker's father and sister spoke to Der Spiegel in an exclusive interview. The interview was published in German and I have translated it for this post (many thanks to Peter Neumann for sending me the interview).

Some highlights from the interview:

. Issa was not religious while he was with the family, as he did not perform all the obligatory prayers and did not fast for the entirety of Ramadan.

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Amid the Islamic State attacks perpetrated recently in both Russia and Germany, the group has released an editorial in this week's issue of its al-Naba' newsletter, entitled "A Jihad in Europe." Among the most important points of this editorial:

. Jihad is a far more effective option than the hundreds of demonstrations that have done nothing to put pressure on Western governments to stop supporting "the Jews" in the campaign against Muslims in Palestine.

. The Islamic State's opponents who criticise Western and Arab governments for collusion with Israel are the same ones to condemn the Islamic State for attacks against those governments' forces and supporters.

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Around a week ago, reports emerged of a prison riot in the Volgograd area of southern Russia in which jihadists took hostages among the prison guards and other staff, culminating in an operation by the Russian National Guard that eliminated the hostage takers. The perpetrators of the riot were already suspected of being linked to the Islamic State or supporters of the group. The Islamic State has now issued its own report on the incident in its al-Naba' newsletter, making clear the link with the group. I translate the report below.

Some key points from the report:

https://www.aymennaltamimi.com/p/islamic-state-report-on-russian-prison

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Reports of a stabbing attack in Solingen in Germany and the arrest of a person of central Asian origin who had apparently known the attacker have prompted speculation about whether the attack had a connection with the Islamic State. The group is now tentatively claiming the attack through its Amaq News outlet, claiming that the attack was conducted by a "soldier" of the Islamic State principally in revenge for the Muslims of Palestine (probably alluding to German support for Israel amid the ongoing military campaign in Gaza) and elsewhere. The victims of the attack are, as with the Russia attacks earlier this year, framed as 'Christians.' The claim of an Islamic State connection at least in terms of the attacker's allegiance to the Islamic State seems credible and will likely be followed by a further 'official' Islamic State claim and further Islamic State reports on the matter. Such materials on the attack will be posted and translated below.

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As it is my birthday, I thought I would post a translation I did some time ago of a curious medieval Latin poem about the renowned Spanish city of Seville. The poem was composed in 1250 by the Benedictine monk Guillermo Pérez de la Calzada, who served as abbot of Saint Facundus (Sahagún, in northern Spain). The poem, dedicated to Alfonso X (the son and heir of King Ferdinand III of Castile and León), was intended to celebrate the Christian reconquest of the city in 1248: probably the most significant city to fall back into Christian hands following Ferdinand's reconquest of Cordoba in 1236. The poem itself is both a panegyric to the city of Seville and also tells of its history in summarised form, beginning with its purported founding by Julius Caesar as the settlement of Julia Romula, and then moving on to the city's status during the era of Visigothic rule of Spain (including commemoration of the two renowned Christian bishops of Seville: Leander and his brother Isidore), and then the Muslim invasion and its eventual reconquest by Ferdinand III, while paying tribute to Alfonso X and concluding with a brief lamentation about the author's own senile state.

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