Terror suspects arrested in NRW and Brandenburg
Investigators in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg have arrested two young people who are said to have planned an Islamist attack in Germany. The two suspects are said to have agreed via chat to carry out an attack on a Christmas market or a synagogue in Cologne using incendiary devices or a small truck, according to several media reports. According to these reports, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution came across the 16-year-old from Wittstock in Brandenburg and the 15-year-old from Burscheid in North Rhine-Westphalia while monitoring relevant Telegram channels.
The arrests were made on Tuesday. As reported by WDR, the public prosecutor's office in Düsseldorf and the public prosecutor's office in Neuruppin are investigating on suspicion of planning to commit a terrorist offense. The authorities declined to comment on request.
Both young people are considered sympathizers of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia. According to WDR, the youth from Brandenburg is classified by the security authorities as a "relevant person" in the Islamist scene. He is said to be armed, extremely violent and has attracted attention in the past for spreading jihadist propaganda. He was carrying a knife when he was arrested, reports the "Tagesspiegel". Several cell phones and four expired toleration certificates were found in his apartment.
In the wake of the war in the Middle East, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned today of the acute danger of Islamist attacks in Germany. The risk of attacks has reached "a new quality", explained the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, in Berlin. "The danger is real and higher than it has been for a long time."
The arrests of the two suspects in Germany are linked to potential terrorist attacks, as they had discussed targeting a Christmas market or a synagogue in Cologne with incendiary devices or a small truck, inspired by the Islamic State (IS). The Brandenburg suspect, classified as "relevant person" in the Islamist scene, had also been armed and spreading jihadist propaganda.
Source: www.ntv.de
