Two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were arrested this Tuesday by German police on suspicion that they were preparing to commit an Islamist attack, according to German authorities. The Prosecutor’s Offices of Düsseldorf (West) and Neuruppin (East), depending on the places of residence of the two young people, have opened proceedings on suspicion of planning a terrorist crime.
According to the NTV network and other media, the two teenagers were in contact through a courier service and had exchanged ideas for attacks with incendiary devices or a truck. Among the possible targets were a Christmas market or a synagogue in the city of Cologne (West).
According to WDR television, what precipitated the arrests was that one of them had called for a “holy war” in a video posted on the Telegram application and had announced an attack for next Friday.
The two are sympathizers of the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS), according to sources cited by said media. This Wednesday, the president of the German secret services, Thomas Haldenwang, had warned that the risk of Islamist attacks at this time is “as high as it has not been in a long time.”
The danger has experienced “a qualitative change” as a result of the Gaza war, since the videos spread on social networks about the suffering of Palestinians can contribute to “radicalizing” young people residing in Germany, he said.
