Police in Lower Bavaria have arrested five men suspected of planning an attack on a Christmas market near Dingolfing. Authorities suspect an Islamist motivation and believe the attack was to be carried out with a vehicle. The arrests took place on Friday, with investigations ongoing.
In Lower Bavaria, police arrested five men suspected of planning an Islamist-motivated attack on a Christmas market near Dingolfing. The suspects include a 56-year-old Egyptian, a 37-year-old Syrian, and three Moroccans aged 22, 28, and 30. Four received arrest warrants, and one was placed in preventive detention, as confirmed by the Munich General Public Prosecutor's Office.
The arrests occurred on Friday, with the men appearing before a judge on Saturday. The operation was led by the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism of the General Public Prosecutor's Office, involving the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Reports indicate the Egyptian called for an attack in a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area to kill or injure as many people as possible—this is evaluated as an attempt to induce murder. The three Moroccans were allegedly prepared to carry out the attack and declared themselves ready for murder. The Syrian is said to have encouraged them.
The planned attack was to be executed with a vehicle, but details on the exact timing and concreteness of the plans remain unclear initially. The General Public Prosecutor's Office emphasized the presumption of innocence and the need for further investigations. There are conflicting reports on whether a tip came from a foreign intelligence service: Some media claim yes, while the prosecutor's office denied involvement of foreign agencies.
Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) praised the authorities' efforts: "Thanks to the excellent cooperation of our security agencies, several suspects could be arrested in a very short time, thereby preventing a potentially Islamist-motivated attack in Bavaria." The district administrator of Dingolfing-Landau, Werner Bumeder (CSU), stated he was only recently informed and could not provide further details, including the specific Christmas market or the suspects' residences.
The incident highlights ongoing vigilance against extremist threats in Germany, particularly during the Christmas season.
