My heart goes out to the friends and families of the deceased, and also to the European Muslims (not to mentions Sikhs, and pretty much anyone else wearing a turban or looking too brown) who are going to get a lot more hate than usual in the upcoming weeks. I have my suspicions that this has less to do with IS proper and more to do with people who want to show the millions fleeing Africa and the middle east that Europe is no safer. That there is no escape from their tormentors. Psychological warfare.
Perhaps, but in the context that from their POV Western Liberalism + Capitalism is similar, and we are willing to kill to spread it. The difference is that Western Liberalism allows for a much larger degree of cultural plurality, so it's less oppressive, but not unoppressive.
This was my second thought after hearing the news yesterday. For me, and many others, specially the refugees that are new to Germany. 9/11 vol. 2, europe edition. More "random" checks at airports and train stations. More racism, more right winged power. I thought, by moving to Europe that I would be spared of what is happening in Israel. I can be just another mixed background guy doing his science, but the wave is coming to Europe and it is not going to be pretty...
I could be proved wrong but my suspicion is that this was some Al Qaeda sympathizers/members that moved over to ISIL now that AQ is not cool/powerful anymore. Coordinated terrorist attacks are a hallmark of AQ and not ISIL. Or maybe ISIL is adopting that model but I do not believe they have done that out side of their core area to date. Who knows WTF is going on.