Three Iraqi citizens have been arrested on suspicion of preparing an Islamist-motivated attack, the German Federal Prosecutor stated as quoted by Reuters.
The Federal Police’s special forces in the early morning of 30 January arrested 23-year-old Iraqi national Shahin F., 23-year-old Iraqi national Hersh F., and 36-year-old Iraqi national Rauf S. on suspicion of preparing a serious act of violence that endangers the state, the German Federal Prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Festnahme wegen des Verdachts der Vorbereitung einer schweren staatsgefährdenden Gewalttat, Pressemitteilung der #Bundesanwaltschaft v. 30.01.2019, https://t.co/I8Qii3MFB8
— Bundesanwaltschaft (@GBA_b_BGH) January 30, 2019
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"The findings to date show that the suspects have not yet envisaged a specific target for their attack. Further investigation must clarify whether the accused were involved in a terrorist group", the statement said.
One of the suspects, Shahin F., searched for information on how to assemble an explosive device on the internet and sought to purchase some components from a contact in the United Kingdom, the statement added. However, the components' smuggling was thwarted by UK law enforcement.
Earlier in January, German authorities extradited a Syrian national, suspected of plotting a terrorist attack, to the Netherlands, the public prosecutor general's office stated.
