Germany: 5 Arrested in Connection with Alleged Christmas Market Attack Plot
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German authorities arrested five men suspected of planning a car-based attack on a Christmas market in Bavaria. Islamist motives are being investigated.
Five men are in custody in Germany for allegedly planning an attack on a Christmas market, according to the Munich public prosecutor's office.
The planned target was a Christmas market near Dingolfing, a town in the southern German state of Bavaria. Authorities have not yet released the specific name of the targeted market.
Four of the suspects have formal arrest warrants issued against them. The fifth individual is being held in preventative custody, the prosecutor's office stated.
Investigators believe the planned attack was motivated by Islamist beliefs and intended to be carried out using a car. The suspects include a 56-year-old Egyptian national, a 37-year-old Syrian national, and three Moroccan nationals aged 22, 28, and 30.
The German newspaper Bild initially reported the arrests, noting that the Egyptian suspect had allegedly called for an attack on the Christmas market at a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told Bild that the swift arrests were made possible through "excellent cooperation of our security authorities," preventing a potential Islamist-motivated attack in Bavaria.
Security concerns are always high at German Christmas markets, especially following past failures to prevent attacks. Last year, a man drove an SUV into a crowd.
