A 22-year-old Syrian national was arrested in Berlin on Saturday as authorities came to believe the man may have been planning a “jihadi” attack in support of the Islamic State, DW News reported, citing officials.
A spokesperson for Berlin prosecutors told the German newspaper that the suspect was planning "a jihadi-motivated attack.”
The suspect was detained by a unit of the police Special Task Force after officers seized equipment for making a bomb during a search of three residential addresses linked to him.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the arrest showed "the terrorist threat in Germany, though often abstract, remains heightened."
Syrian man showed support for Islamic State, officials claim
Dobrindt added that the Syrian national had arrived in Germany in 2023, and there were early indicators that he was making preparations to carry out an attack.
Iris Spranger, Interior Minister for the city-state of Berlin, said authorities “are extremely watchful in cooperation with the security authorities for the security of people in the capital."
According to prosecutors, the man shared ISIS propaganda on social media, including songs about jihad.