Three suspected Islamist extremists have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of preparing “serious acts of violence”, with the attack also carrying guns and knives, authorities said on Tuesday.
The police raided the homes of two German-Lebanese brothers aged 15 and 20 in the city of Mannheim, and a twenty-five-year-old German-Turkish man from the city of Hochtau in the village of Hassia on Sunday.
German media reports said they were preparing to attack Christmas markets in either Frankfurt or Mannheim.
Local prosecutors and police said in a statement that the act they thought could “endanger the state,” without revealing more.
Germany has faced a string of attacks and ambushes by suspected Islamists in recent years and was on high alert when Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in the Gaza Strip.
The brothers are being held in Mannheim, who have “religious beliefs and deep sympathy” for the Islamic State (IS), and have prepared a concrete attack, authorities said.
A robbery attack with weapons found during a search of the home of a 22-year-old German-Turkish man, they said. A number of knives, balaclavas and mobile phones were also turned up in the searches.
Officials confirmed that “there is no concrete risk to the state”. The suspects are in pre-trial detention.
Roman Poseck, the state minister of the interior of Hassia, praised the police for making the arrests in “good time, before all the acts could be carried out.”
“At the same time, it’s clear again that security is the situation of the moment,” Poseck added.
Germany has seen a series of knife attacks in recent times allegedly motivated by Islamists.
Three people were killed and eight injured in a stabbing spree on Solingen Street in the western city in August.
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Police He was captured by the Syrian army after an attack by IS.
In June, a police officer was killed in a knife attack in Mannheim, with an Afghan national considered the prime suspect.
The fall of President Bashar al-Assad has fueled fears that IS could be resurrected in Syria.
But the international community has so far reacted cautiously to the prospect of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which ousted Assad’s rebel group, taking control of the country.