Cops say blast at mosque likely a "xenophobic" attack
BERLIN -- A mosque and a conference center were attacked in two explosions in the German city of Dresden but nobody was injured, police said Tuesday.
Dresden police said in a statement that there was no immediate report on the extent of damage from the explosions late Monday.
“Even though we do not have a letter of confession, we must assume there’s a xenophobic background,” Police President Horst Kretschmar said.
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Police said they found pieces of a homemade explosive device in front of the conference center and the mosque.
An imam with his wife and two sons were inside the mosque at the time. They were not injured, but the entrance door was pushed into the building by the blast. Police said they increased the security outside mosques all over Dresden.
The second device exploded shortly after the first on a terrace between a hotel and the International Congress Center, a facility which can accommodate 6,000 people for conferences. The blast destroyed a decorative glass block on the outdoor terrace. Police evacuated the hotel bar and asked people to stay away from windows at the hotel building.
Some 50 officers were involved in the overnight operation, police said.
Police President Kretschmar said the two explosions could have also been connected to Germany’s national unification celebrations next Monday, which will be held in Dresden.
Dresden is the state capital of Saxony which has seen a lot of racist attacks recently.