Germany charges Syrian for alleged bomb plot
March 15, 2018
German prosecutors on Thursday indicted a 20-year-old Syrian refugee for allegedly planning a bomb attack.
Yamen A., whose last name was not given in line with German privacy laws, plotted an Islamist-inspired attack with the goal of "killing at least 200 people," the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe said.
The suspect was arrested in Berlin last October.
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According to prosecutors, A. made the decision last July "to detonate an explosive device in Germany in the midst of a large concentration of people." It is unclear where the alleged bomb plot was to be carried out.
"It was important for him to create a climate of fear and uncertainty in the population of the Federal Republic of Germany," prosecutors said.
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He is not believed to have been part of a terror cell.
Investigators said A. had acquired precursors to make the explosive TATP and other bomb-making materials. A search of his residence found bomb-making supplies.
Der Spiegel had previously reported the suspect had acquired bomb-making supplies on Amazon.
According to the Interior Ministry, A. arrived in Germany in September 2015 and applied for asylum in February 2016. In April 2016, he was granted a three-year residency permit.
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cw/kms (AFP, AP)