The LKA Hamburg has arrested a 28-year-old Syrian national. He is said to have planned a bomb attack with his brother.
Because he is said to have bought ingredients for explosives on the Internet, he was exposed: In a concerted action, German security authorities may have prevented a terrorist attack. As the Federal Criminal Police Office, the LKA Hamburg and the Hamburg Attorney General jointly announced, several objects were searched on Tuesday morning and a main suspect arrested.
The investigations are directed against two 28 and 24 year old brothers from Hamburg and Kempten (Allgäu). They are said to have planned an attack with a self-made explosive belt out of “a radical Islamist and jihadist attitude”. The attack was supposed to be directed against “civilian targets”. However, there are no indications of a specific attack target.
Investigators became aware of a 28-year-old Syrian via Ebay
The 28-year-old main suspect was noticed because he had been buying “basic materials for the production of explosive material” on the online platform Ebay and from other providers for weeks. His younger brother, who lives in Kempten, is said to have “encouraged him to plan the crime and thus provided assistance,” it said.
The older man was arrested by special forces from the federal police in Hamburg on Tuesday morning. An arrest warrant was issued against him by the district court in Hamburg for “terrorist financing”. Searches took place both in Hamburg and in Kempten – including on possible contacts of the accused. “Extensive evidence, including chemical substances,” was secured.
Around 250 police forces were involved in the operation, including from the police headquarters in Swabia South/West and the Federal Police.
