German authorities mentioned Sunday that they’ve arrested a Libyan nationwide with suspected ties to the extremist Islamic State group who was allegedly planning a firearms assault on the Israeli Embassy.
Police and different safety forces detained the person on Saturday night in Bernau, a city simply exterior of Berlin, and searched his dwelling there, the Federal Prosecutor’s Workplace mentioned in a press release.
The prosecutor’s workplace mentioned the suspect was a Libyan nationwide whom they recognized solely as Omar A.
“He supposed to hold out a high-profile assault with firearms on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin,” the assertion mentioned. In his planning, the assertion added, “the accused exchanged info with a member of IS in a messenger chat.” Safety forces additionally searched the house of one other one who is taken into account a witness and never a suspect, the prosecutor’s assertion mentioned.
Inside Minister Nancy Faeser mentioned that German safety authorities “struck in time to thwart attainable plans to assault the Israeli Embassy in Berlin.” “This exhibits that defending Jewish and Israeli establishments in our nation is important and of the utmost significance to us,” she added.
The suspect introduced on Sunday earlier than an investigating choose on the nation’s highest court docket, the Federal Courtroom of Justice in Karlsruhe.
Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor thanked the German safety authorities “for guaranteeing the safety of our embassy,” German information company dpa reported.
Information of the case first got here from the Bild newspaper, which reported {that a} closely armed elite police unit stormed the suspect’s dwelling in Bernau. It mentioned German authorities acted after receiving a tipoff from an unspecified international intelligence company.
“We’re performing with the utmost vigilance and a focus in view of the excessive menace posed by Islamist, antisemitic and anti-Israel violence,” Faeser mentioned.
Based on Bild, the suspect is a 28-year-old who arrived in Germany in November 2022 and utilized for asylum. Dpa reported that his asylum request was rejected.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann additionally warned Sunday of a “very severe” menace of Islamist terrorism in Germany. “Israeli establishments are notably usually the goal of terrorists,” he instructed dpa.
A pointy enhance in antisemitic incidents has been recorded in Germany since Hamas’ assault on Israeli on October 7, 2023, which triggered the continuing wars within the Center East.
