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A 22-year-old Syrian man is now in pretrial custody in Berlin following his arrest on suspicion of planning a jihadist-motivated attack, with prosecutors also alleging the main promoted videos from Islamic State (IS) before the attack.
Police arrested the man on Saturday, and a judge issued an arrest warrant against him on Sunday evening. He is accused of preparing a serious crime endangering the state. The suspect is believed to have arrived in Germany in 2023.
The investigation continues, with authorities currently focused on analyzing the evidence seized from searches at three addresses in the Neukölln and Köpenick districts, according to a report from German news media outlet Taggeschau.
Michael Petzold, spokesman for the Berlin public prosecutor’s office, stated that the next step will be the evaluation of electronic storage media and other evidence seized.
The man is accused of planning to use a homemade explosive against targets in Germany and law enforcement stated that he already required several suitable components to make such a device.
According to ARD terrorism expert Holger Schmidt, authorities were “alerted to the man by a tip from a foreign intelligence service.” The initial challenge was locating him, as he “apparently had several registered addresses in the city.”
The arrest on Saturday took place near Potsdamer Platz, shortly after the opening of the Winter Wonderland. Petzold addressed speculation about the Christmas market being a target, stating:
“Of course, the investigation is proceeding in all directions. And the target must naturally be determined, but that is all part of the investigation.”
Much remains unclear regarding the specifics of the man’s plans, including the potential attack location. It is also unknown why multiple locations were searched or whether investigators suspect accomplices.
The suspect had also drawn the attention of investigators through his activity on social media. According to the public prosecutor’s office, he allegedly shared propaganda from the terrorist organization Islamic State on several occasions. This included songs or anthems with a jihadist context, and he faces a charge of disseminating propaganda materials of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.
