A Syrian national had attempted to kill at least 200 people, prosecutors said. The suspect tried to "create a climate of fear and uncertainty" by detonating explosives "in the midst of a large concentration of people."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kraufmann
Advertisement
German prosecutors on Thursday indicted a 20-year-old Syrian refugee for allegedly planning a bomb attack.
Yamen A., whose last name was not given in line with German privacy laws, plotted an Islamist-inspired attack with the goal of "killing at least 200 people," the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe said.
According to prosecutors, A. made the decision last July "to detonate an explosive device in Germany in the midst of a large concentration of people." It is unclear where the alleged bomb plot was to be carried out.
"It was important for him to create a climate of fear and uncertainty in the population of the Federal Republic of Germany," prosecutors said.
He is not believed to have been part of a terror cell.
Investigators said A. had acquired precursors to make the explosive TATP and other bomb-making materials. A search of his residence found bomb-making supplies.
Der Spiegel had previously reported the suspect had acquired bomb-making supplies on Amazon.
According to the Interior Ministry, A. arrived in Germany in September 2015 and applied for asylum in February 2016. In April 2016, he was granted a three-year residency permit.
Germany is planning to expand its elite GSG9 police unit in view of the continuing terrorist threat. The group has a distinguished history going back more than four decades.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Hannibal
Ready to cope with extreme situations
The GSG9, which stands for Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (Border Protection Group 9), was set up in 1972 after regular German police failed to rescue Israeli hostages kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics. Its formation was controversial, with some politicians in Germany feeling the group was reminiscent of the notorious Nazi SS.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Hannibal
Establishing a top reputation
The GSG9's very first mission, called "Operation Fire Magic," established its high reputation. After Palestinian terrorists hijacked a Lufthansa plane in 1977, the GSG 9 managed to rescue passengers in a seven-minute operation in Mogadishu. A GSG 9 member and a flight attendant were injured, while three of four hijackers were killed. Sadly, the pilot was killed before the operation took place.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/dpaweb
Reward for a mission accomplished
Ulrich Wegener, who was a founding member of GSG 9, received an Order of Merit from the German government after the successful mission. Wegener, who became known as the "Hero of Mogadishu," died on December 28, 2017, at the age of 88. He was always uncomfortable with his popular title, saying recently: "We did the work together."
Image: imago/Sven Simon
Deployed at sea ...
The GSG 9 goes into action in hostage situations, in cases of terrorism and to undertake bomb disposal. But it is also deployed to secure locations, as here ahead of the 2007 G8 summit in the northern resort town of Heiligendamm.
Image: Getty Images/A. Hassenstein
... and on land
Most of the GSG 9's missions are confidential, but it is said to have participated in more than 1,900 operations since being founded. It is currently based in the western town of Sankt Augustin, near Germany's former capital, Bonn.
Image: picture-alliance/U. Baumgarten
Always in training
The GSG 9 members undergo rigorous training for all eventualities. Here, they practice dealing with an attack by armed terrorists on a railway station. Plans are now underway to expand the unit by a third and give it another headquarters in the capital, Berlin. Although the number of members is kept a secret, media currently put it at around 400.
