German police said they arrested an 18-year-old man suspected of planning a “politically motivated” attack in Berlin. The target, according to multiple media reports, was the Israeli Embassy.
The man, a Russian national, was taken into custody late Thursday in the eastern state of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin, a statement from police and prosecutors said, adding that the suspect appeared in court Friday and was remanded in custody.
Authorities did not provide additional information about the alleged attack plan.
Riot police and specialist officers were involved in making the arrest, which came after a tip-off, officials said.
“No further details as to the background and motive can be given for the moment to protect the investigation,” they added.
According to the investigation so far, the man had not been known to police for previous criminal offenses, the German dpa news agency reported.
Police in Germany have been on high alert ahead of Sunday’s federal elections and after several deadly attacks, most recently when an Afghan man drove a car into a demonstration in Munich earlier this month.
Report: 2 additional suspects left Germany
The suspect wanted to join the terrorist militia “Islamic State,” according to sources quoted by dpa. The new agency’s sources said security authorities are investigating a group that allegedly includes two other suspects in connection with the suspected attack plan. Those suspects, however, are thought to have left the country.
The German-Israeli Society warned against not taking a hard enough line against antisemitism.
“Politics must take anti-Israeli antisemitism as a source of Islamist radicalization seriously,” the society’s president, Volker Beck, said Friday, adding that by “accepting indifference and anti-Israeli mobilization,” people are being encouraged toward anti-Israeli terror.
Edited by: Sean M. Sinico
