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QAMISHLI, syria (North Press) – German authorities stated on Saturday they had thwarted a suspected Islamist plot to carry out a deadly vehicle-ramming attack on a Christmas market, arresting five men in southern Germany as security remains heightened during the festive season. Police and prosecutors stated the suspects — an Egyptian, three Moroccans and a syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian — were detained on Dec. 12 in Bavaria on suspicion of planning the attack. Investigators believe the plot was driven by “an Islamist motive,” as per an official statement.
German media declared that the Egyptian suspect, 56, served as an imam at a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau district. Authorities said he had called for an attack on a local Christmas market “using a vehicle to kill or injure as numerous people as possible. ” The three Moroccan suspects, aged 30, 28 and 22, allegedly agreed to carry out the attack, while the 37-year-old Syrian suspect is accused of encouraging them, authorities said. All five were brought before a magistrate on Saturday and remain in custody. Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann credited “excellent cooperation between our security services” for preventing what he described as a potentially Islamist-motivated attack. Authorities did not disclose where the arrests took place, nor did they specify which Christmas market was targeted or when the attack was planned to occur.
Details about the level of preparation and logistical planning also remain unclear. Security around Christmas markets across Germany has been tightened in latest years following a series of deadly attacks. Last year, a car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg killed six people and injured more than 300, shocking the country and intensifying scrutiny over public safety at festive events. That attack is distinct from a 2016 assault in Berlin, when an Islamist attacker drove a truck into a Christmas market, killing 12 people.
The repeated incidents have fueled a national debate over the rising costs and complexity of securing Christmas markets, a cherished winter tradition held in towns and cities across Germany. Some municipalities have canceled markets due to security concerns, while others have pressed ahead under stricter measures. By Jwan Shekaki