Five arrested in Germany over planned vehicle-ramming attack at Christmas market
Five men were arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning a vehicle-ramming attack at a Christmas market with an Islamist motive. The suspects include three Moroccans aged 30, 28 and 22, one Egyptian aged 56, and one Syrian aged 37. They were detained on Friday and appeared before a magistrate on Saturday, remaining in custody.
The Egyptian suspect, reportedly an imam at a local mosque according to Bild, allegedly called for an attack intended to kill or injure as many people as possible. The three Moroccans allegedly agreed to carry out the vehicle attack, while the Syrian is said to have encouraged their decision. Authorities believe the target was a Christmas market in the Dingolfing-Landau area, northeast of Munich, though officials did not specify which market or the planned date.
Bavaria's interior minister Joachim Herrmann praised the cooperation between security services for preventing what was potentially an Islamist-motivated attack. Security at Christmas markets in Germany has been heightened in recent years following the 2016 Berlin attack and other incidents, including the Magdeburg attack last December that killed six people.
