German authorities have arrested five men suspected of planning a vehicle attack targeting a Christmas market in Bavaria, officials confirmed Friday, as security services remain on heightened alert ahead of the holiday season.
Prosecutors said the suspects include three Moroccan nationals, an Egyptian, and a Syrian man. Investigators believe the group was motivated by Islamist ideology and had discussed using a vehicle to strike civilians at a crowded market in southern Germany.
According to prosecutors, the alleged ringleader is a 56-year-old Egyptian national accused of calling for a vehicle attack “with the aim of killing or injuring as many people as possible.” Authorities said the three Moroccan men agreed to carry out the attack, while the Syrian suspect is accused of encouraging the others to follow through.
German newspaper Bild reported that the Egyptian suspect served as an imam at a local mosque in the region. Authorities have not publicly confirmed that detail.
Police said the Moroccan suspects, aged 30, 28, and 22, were arrested on suspicion of agreeing to commit murder. The Syrian man, 37, faces accusations of incitement related to the alleged plot. All five suspects appeared before a magistrate on Saturday and remain in custody.
Officials have not disclosed when the attack was planned to occur or which specific Christmas market was the target. However, investigators said they believe the intended location was in the Dingolfing-Landau district, northeast of Munich.
Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann praised law enforcement efforts in comments to Bild, saying the “excellent cooperation between our security services” helped prevent “a potentially Islamist-motivated attack.”
Germany has remained on high alert following a series of past Islamic attacks targeting Christmas markets, including a deadly incident in Magdeburg last December that left six people dead. Security measures at public events have been steadily increased over the years, especially after a 2016 attack in Berlin when a man drove a truck into a Christmas market crowd, killing 12 people.
