HAMBURG, Germany, The Islamic State has taken credit for a fatal stabbing attack in Germany two weeks ago, but authorities in Hamburg said they are not so sure.

German officials were working Sunday to validate a claim by the militant group that an attack on a couple by a lake was perpetrated by a “soldier of the Islamic State.”
The Islamic State — also identified as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh — posted a statement on the website of its news agency taking credit for the attack, calling the attacker “a soldier of the Islamic State” who “carried out the operation in response to calls to target the citizens of coalition countries.”
Police officials say the attack appears to have been random, but they remain unconvinced the militant group is actually behind the murder despite their statement taking credit for it.
“We are checking this to determine its authenticity, but the statement doesn’t match the results of our investigation,” a Hamburg police spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal. “There are at least contradictions between our investigation and what they are saying.”