German authorities arrested a Libyan man near Berlin on Saturday, suspecting his affiliation with ISIS and his involvement in planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Germany.
The German newspaper Bild reported that the suspect intended to target the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Berlin confirmed that the diplomatic mission was a potential target. Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, expressed gratitude to German security forces “for ensuring the safety of our embassy.”
According to Bild, an elite police unit armed with heavy weapons raided the suspect’s apartment in the Bernau suburb. Additionally, police conducted a raid on an apartment in Sankt Augustin, in western Germany, as part of the investigation, where potential witnesses were questioned, and evidence was collected.
The report indicated that the German authorities acted upon intelligence received from an unspecified foreign intelligence agency.
A spokesperson for the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office clarified that the residents of the apartment in Sankt Augustin are not suspected of any wrongdoing.
While the full details of the alleged plot remain unclear, it is still unknown whether the suspect had acquired weapons or how the attack was intended to be carried out.
The suspect is expected to appear before an investigative judge in the German court in Karlsruhe on Sunday, where the judge will decide whether to keep him in custody during the investigation.
