German police arrested five suspects, all foreigners, for planning an attack on a Christmas market motivated by extremist Islamist ideology. The group was entirely composed of non-German nationals.
International news agencies reported that German police arrested five men suspected of plotting to drive a vehicle into crowds at a Christmas market in Bavaria in southern Germany. Their motivation is believed to be linked to extremist Islamist ideology.
Authorities in Germany are maintaining maximum vigilance following several previous attacks on Christmas markets. The detainees include three Moroccans, one Egyptian, and one Syrian, who were taken into custody last Friday (12 Dec).
Prosecutors allege that the 56-year-old Egyptian man proposed an attack using a vehicle, aiming to kill or injure as many people as possible. The Moroccan men are accused of agreeing to carry out the planned attack.
Officials did not specify when or exactly which market was targeted, but they believe it was a market in the Dingolfing-Landau district, located northeast of Munich.
Germany’s Bild newspaper reported that the Egyptian man is an imam at a local mosque in the area.
Police also revealed that the three Moroccans, aged 30, 28, and 22, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The 37-year-old Syrian man is accused of supporting the suspects in their criminal plans.
Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria’s Interior Minister, told Bild newspaper, “Excellent cooperation among our security agencies helped prevent a potentially Islamist extremist-motivated attack.”
Christmas markets are popular festive tourist attractions across Germany, often drawing large crowds and significant tourism.
Security at German events has been significantly increased in recent years, especially after the 2016 Berlin attack when a man drove a truck into a market crowd, killing 12 people. In December last year, a Christmas market attack in Magdeburg resulted in six deaths.
/foreign news coveragehttps://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:bbc