Three Iraqis arrested in Germany for planning terror attack

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In an early morning raid on Wednesday, German police arrested three Iraqi refugees for planning a future terrorist attack, reported German media. They were captured in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which borders Denmark.

Two, both aged 23, were listed by Der Spiegel as "Shahin F." and "Hersh S." The third, aged 36, was named as "Rauf S." No additional information about their identities has been publicly released, including the part or parts of Iraq the three are originally from. 

Germany's General Federal Attorney charged the two younger suspects with planning the attack and the older suspect with providing unspecified assistance. According to the report, the defendants said they were hoping to target as many “infidels,” as possible, “but no children."

It also added, citing information obtained about ongoing investigations, that their plan had been motivated by Islamist ideology and that they said they were considering different possible methods by which to launch the proposed attack.

The Attorney General’s office explained that the three had attempted to create an explosive device using gunpowder from fireworks they had purchased and had also made inquiries into buying a pistol but did not follow through, due to the expenses involved.

They had instead settled on using a car for a possible vehicle-ramming attack and that "Shahin F."  had begun taking driving lessons in early January to prepare.

Security sources told the German paper that all three men had arrived in the country at the height of the refugee crises in autumn of 2015. 

Editing by John J. Catherine