German police prevent ‘major terror attack,’ arrest Syrian suspect

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Authorities in Germany arrested a Syrian teenager suspected of planning an “Islamist-motivated” bomb attack in the country, the federal prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

Police arrested the 19-year-old, identified as Yamen A., after investigating reports he was planning an attack in Germany “with the aim of killing as many people as possible.”

He was arrested in the northeastern town of Schwerin where police also searched his home, Reuters reported.

According to Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, security officials had prevented a “major terrorist attack.”

A spokesperson for the federal prosecutor’s office said the suspect had been in contact with extremists online who described themselves as “soldiers of the caliphate.”

“According to the findings so far, Yamen A. made the decision no later than July 2017 to detonate an explosive device in Germany in order to kill and injure as many people as possible,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The statement also mentioned the 19-year-old had “began to procure components and chemicals needed to make an explosive device,” adding it was unclear if “the suspect had already envisaged a specific target for his bomb attack.”

The prosecutor’s office said there were no signs Yamen A. was a member of a terrorist organization. The department did not provide the date of his arrival in Germany.

Germany has been the target of several terror attacks over the past few years.

“The threat situation in Germany remains high,” Interior Minister De Maiziere stated. “Germany, Europe, the West are in the sights of [terrorism].”

Editing by Sam A.