Three Moroccans arrested in foiled German terrorist attack
German authorities said on December 13th they had detained five men, including three Moroccans, on suspicion of plans to plough a vehicle into a Christmas Market filled with festive revellers, according to a report in LeMonde via AFP.
Police and Prosecutors announced they had also arrested a Syrian and an Egyptian in relation to the planned attack in Southern Bavaria.
According to a statement, investigators believe an “Islamist motive” is behind the plans.
The Egyptian was an imam at a mosque in Dingolfing-Landau district, in the south-west of the country, German publication Bild reported. He had previously encouraged an attack targeting a Christmas Market in the region “using a vehicle in order to kill or injure as many people as possible,” according to authorities.
The three Moroccan men are believed to have endorsed the plan, with encouragement from the Syrian. All the suspects appeared before a magistrate on 13th December and remain in custody.
The police did not reveal additional information in relation to the plot, including the date, the level of detail and the targeted Christmas market. The locations of the arrests are also unknown.
Bavarian state interior minister, Joachim Hermann, informed Bild that the “excellent cooperation between our security serviced, had aided in the prevention of a potentially Islamist-motivated attack.”
German officials have been in a heightened state of awareness in relations to cases of this type after a vehicle-attack left six killed at a festive market in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, in December 2024.
Similarly In 2016, twelve people were killed as an Islamist drove a truck into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas Market.
These attacks have increased the cost of hosting similar events, with heightened security often required to prevent further incidents. Magdeburg’s market re-opened this week but only after a late approval from authorities.
Christmas Markets are an integral part of the German festive period, with attendees enjoying the mulled wine, sausages and sweets sold by vendors.
LeMonde
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