Some users may apparently not believe that the perpetrator of Volkmarsen is a German.

Even the smallest straws are grasped at, in this case it is an article from an Italian site that simply made a translation error: The Volkmarsen perpetrator has a foreign surname!

But let's start from the beginning: with the claim that the perpetrator is actually Moroccan, because that's what various users claim.
That widely shared tweet said:

The claim on Twitter
The claim on Twitter

#Volkmarsen : The perpetrator is a #Moroccan who was given a German passport. But on all channels there is news about the 29-year-old German who raced into a carnival procession. The #lies from media professionals are becoming more and more bold…”

Now the perpetrator, Maurice P., is no stranger: his photo was published unpixelated by some media, and he is also known locally. However, this did not stop various sides from claiming that the act was “ Muslim terror ” and that the perpetrator was a Muslim.

His last name is also known and is repeatedly mentioned in full in the newspaper in large letters, and his former neighbors also commented on him. But this and all witness statements are deliberately ignored: This must be a huge conspiracy involving everyone involved and affected, the perpetrator was definitely a foreigner!

[mk_ad]

From German to Moroccan

Supposedly even ntv reported that the perpetrator was Moroccan, but this arose from the fantasies of a conspiracy theorist:

On Telegram, right-wing accounts like “ Patriot News ” also persistently spread the claim that Maurice P. is a Muslim Moroccan:

Source: Telegram
Source: Telegram

The rumor about the “real” last name

In one of the replies to the tweet above, suspects that the correct last name is “Hijra,” which is clearly of Muslim origin:

The real last name?
The real last name?

Elsewhere on Twitter it was pointed out that the perpetrator was named as “Maurice P. Hij” on an Italian site. In fact we also find this on the “ il Giornale ” page:

"Maurice P. Hij"
“Maurice P. Hij”

L'uomo, Maurice P. Hij, is a city of 29 years old, but he is not a fat notary come from extreme political politics. "
in German: " The man, Maurice P. Hij, is a 29-year-old German citizen who has not yet identified himself as a hypothetical political extremist.

In other Italian media, “Maurice P. Hij” can also be found as the name of the perpetrator. So do Italians know more than we and all the other domestic and foreign media that report on it?

[mk_ad]

The Origin of “Maurice P. Hij”: A Tweet!

Before all the other tweets about the “real” surname, which then appeared in Italian articles (and only there!) on the same day, a tweet from a Dutch tabloid called “Geen Stijl” (“No Style”) appeared that apparently said this gives real last name:

“Update: Dad Volkmarsen is a naked man from 29, Maurice P. Hij has been taken to a psychiatric clinic.

In German: “ Update: The perpetrator of Volkmarsen is a white male, 29 years old, Maurice P. He was taken to a psychiatric clinic.

The Italians translate the sentence like this: “ Maurice P. Hij was taken to a psychiatric clinic.

Hij = He

The reason for the incorrect translation is probably the missing period after “Maurice P.” in the Dutch tweet (which would also look stupid stylistically: Maurice P.. or Maurice P. .). In the linked article from “ Geen Stijl ” it is also written by “Maurice P.”, which makes it clear that it is purely a translation error by the Italians.

Conclusion

The perpetrator's last name is neither “Hij” nor “Hijra”. The rumor started due to a translation error on one Italian site, which was then adopted by other Italian sites.


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