Germany: police arrest man over Israeli Embassy attack plot
October 20, 2024
A Libyan man with alleged ties to the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group was set to appear before Germany's highest court on Sunday, charged with planning an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin.
The man was detained on Saturday in the town of Bernau in the state of Brandenburg, just outside the capital.
Prosecutors said he was planning to use firearms in the attack.
The suspect, named only as Omar A. in line with Germany's strict privacy laws, was detained in a raid by a heavily armed police unit in a Berlin suburb on Saturday.
He was set to be brought before the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe later on Sunday when a judge will decide whether or not he should be held in custody during the investigation.
In a statement, the prosecutor's office said the Libyan national had intended to carry out "a high-profile attack with firearms on the Israeli embassy in Berlin."
It added: "To plan the attack, the suspect exchanged information with an IS member in a messenger chat."
According to German media, the authorities were alerted to the plot by a foreign intelligence service which suggested that, following the attack, the suspect was planning on traveling to a relative in the town of Sankt Augustin near the western city of Bonn before fleeing the county.
The relative in question is being treated as a witness rather than a suspect, and their flat was also searched.
Justice Minister warns of 'serious' terror threat
After the arrest, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann warned of a "very serious" Islamist terror threat in Germany.
"Israeli institutions are often in the terrorists' sights," he told the dpa news agency, adding that the protection of such locations is of "particular importance in these times when fanatical anti-Semitism and Israel-hate are on the rise, and when Islamist terror is gaining new followers."
He said that Germany will continue "to do all it can to prevent the dangerous plans of Israel-haters and anti-Semites."
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said protecting Jewish and Israeli institutions in Germany was "of the utmost importance to us."
She said law enforcement were acting with the "utmost vigilance" to prevent any suspected "Islamist, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel violence."
Israeli ambassador thanks security forces
Israel's ambassador to Germany has thanked the German authorities for "guaranteeing the security of our embassy."
Ambassador Ron Prosor told dpa: "Islamic anti-Semitism is not only limited to hate-filled rhetoric but also supports global terrorism. The employees at the Israeli Embassy are in particular danger because they are on the front line of diplomacy."
The State of Israel purchased the plot of land on which the embassy now stands in southwestern Berlin in 1998.
The embassy itself and the ambassador's residence were officially inaugurated in May 2001 to mark 53 years since the establishment of Israel.
German authorities have recorded a sharp increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents and crimes since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing Israeli retaliation in Gaza and Lebanon since.
mf/rc (dpa, AFP, AP)