Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has released new details surrounding the arrest of a suspected "Islamic State" (IS) militant. The Syrian teenager allegedly highlighted the Brandenburg Gate as a potential target.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
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Details surrounding the arrest of a suspected so-called "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist in Berlin were released on Thursday, following the Federal Court of Justice's (BGH) decision to extend the man's investigation by three months.
The 19-year-old Syrian allegedly identified the capital's tourist trap Alexanderplatz, the Brandenburg Gate, and the area around the Reichstag - Germany's parliamentary building - as targets for an IS attack.
The man is said to have then reported his findings to a contact back in his home county in February. Information included how many people and buses were present at different times of the day. He was arrested a month later, and charged in October on account of being an IS member.
Brandenburg Gate is believed to have been marked as a potential targetImage: picture alliance/blickwinkel
At the time, the man was known to have fought in Syria and to have found potential targets for terror attacks in Berlin. It wasn't known, however, specifically where. He is also accused of being a contact person for potential attackers. According to the BGH'S decision, the suspected terrorist also offered "to commit an IS attack in Germany himself with two unknown people."
The man arrived in Germany as an asylum seeker in summer 2015. The court hearing is due to be held in Berlin.
High alert
Germany has remained on high alert for possible IS-inspired operations since last year's Paris terror attacks, as well as a series of others to hit the continent, including in Nice and Brussels. IS also claimed responsibility for two attacks carried out in southern Germany during the summer.
Berlin police last week arrested another Syrian man on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack, but the BGH did not find enough evidence to detain him on terror charges. Twenty-seven-year-old Ashraf Al-T. remains in custody, however, on charges of falsifying documents.
Just last month bomb plot suspect, Jaber A., was also detained in the nearby eastern city of Leipzig after police found explosives in his Chemnitz apartment. The 22-year-old, who had planned to bomb a Berlin airport, hanged himself in his cell. An investigation into his death is still ongoing.
Chronology: Terror plots in Germany
Several times over the past 18 months, police have managed to thwart terror attacks and plots in Germany, which has clearly become a target for Islamic militants in Europe. The following made the headlines:
Image: Reuters/M. Rehle
Leipzig, October 2016
Police in Leipzig arrested 22-year-old Syrian refugee Jaber al-Bakr after a two-day manhunt following the discovery of explosives and other bomb-making equipment at his apartment in Chemnitz. He was suspected of plotting to attack a Berlin airport. Two days later, he hanged himself in his prison cell.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Willnow
Ansbach, July 2016
In July, the "Islamic State" (IS) claimed responsibility for two attacks carried out by asylum seekers. 15 people were injured in a crowded wine bar next to the entrance to a music festival in the Bavarian town of Ansbach after a rejected Syrian asylum seeker detonated an explosive device. The man killed himself in the attack.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/D. Karmann
Würzburg, July 2016
A 17-year-old asylum seeker wielding an axe and a knife went on a rampage on a regional train near Würzburg, seriously injuring four members of a tourist family from Hong Kong and a passer-by. The attacker was shot dead by police. German authorities said the teenager was believed to be a "lone wolf" inspired by the IS, but without being a member of the network.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Hildenbrand
Düsseldorf, May 2016
Three suspected members of the "Islamic State" terror network were arrested in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Baden Württemberg. Authorities say two of the men planned to blow themselves up in downtown Düsseldorf, while the other attacker and a fourth jihadist arrested in France planned to target pedestrians with guns and explosive devices.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Hitij
Essen, April 2016
Police arrested three people over a bomb blast that injured three people in a Sikh temple in Essen. The bomb detonated after a wedding party, blowing out windows and destroying a part of the building's exterior. A 16-year-old suspect turned himself in after police showed footage of the attack from a surveillance camera and special police units arrested another young suspect in his parents' home.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kusch
Hanover, February 2016
German-Moroccan Safia S. is charged with stabbing a police officer at the main train station in the northern city of Hanover. The 16-year-old girl is suspected of having been "motivated by members of the Islamic State group in Syria to commit this act," chief prosecutor Simon Heinrichs said.
Image: Polizei
Berlin, February 2016
In separate raids across the country, police arrested three Algerians suspected of links to the "Islamic State" militant group and of having planned a terrorist attack in Berlin. The Berlin prosecutor's office said prosecutors were aware of a "concrete" plan to target the capital.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Oberursel, April 2015
The Eschborn-Frankfurt City loop bike race was called off after German police discovered it may have been the target of an Islamist terror attack. A 35-year-old German with a Turkish background and his 34-year-old wife were arrested on suspicion of planning the attack. Police found bomb-making materials in their home near the bike route.
