Suspected attack
Brothers from Mannheim imprisoned for terrorist plans
Updated 12/10/2024Reading time: 3 min.
Two brothers and an accomplice are said to have planned an Islamist attack. One is just 15 years old. They already had an assault rifle.
Three young men from Mannheim and the Hochtaunus district in Hesse are said to have planned an Islamist attack and are therefore in custody. They are said to have already acquired an assault rifle, among other things, as the Baden-Württemberg and Hesse state criminal investigation offices and the Karlsruhe public prosecutor’s office announced. There is suspicion of preparation for a serious act of violence that would endanger the state.
These are two German-Lebanese brothers from Mannheim, aged 15 and 20, and a 22-year-old German-Turk from Hesse. With regard to the brothers, the investigators speak of a consolidated religious ideology and a “deep sympathy” for the terrorist group Islamic State (IS). The public prosecutor’s office did not provide any information about the further background, such as the specific attack plans or the relationship between the three suspects.
The two brothers and the man from Hesse were arrested in their homes on Sunday by special forces in a cross-border collaboration – the brothers in Mannheim, the 22-year-old in the Hochtaunus district. The assault rifle was found on the 22-year-old. The three suspects were brought before a judge at the Karlsruhe District Court on Monday, who ordered their pre-trial detention.
In addition to the firearm, a balaclava, a tactical protective vest, several knives as well as cell phones and data carriers were seized from the apartments. These are now being evaluated, according to the investigators. However, there was never any specific danger to the population.
The Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) spoke of an “impressive example of the effective and consistent work of our security authorities.” We will continue to do everything we can to “consistently and harshly confront the enemies of our values, our way of life and our society.”
The Hessian Interior Minister Roman Poseck emphasized that the case once again made it clear that the security situation was tense. “The case shows once again that we have to do more for our security,” said the CDU politician. The security authorities would have to be given further powers in order to be able to respond effectively to the current challenges. The planned tightening of police law in Hesse with more powers for the security authorities is right and necessary, said Poseck.
According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the danger from Islamist terrorism in Germany continues. Islamist attack plans in Germany repeatedly make headlines, recently even in large numbers. A Syrian was arrested in the Schweinfurt area just on Sunday. The 26-year-old IS sympathizer is suspected of financing terrorism and of giving instructions to commit a serious act of violence that endangers the state.
Shortly before, a 37-year-old threat was arrested in Augsburg, who is also said to be a sympathizer of the “Islamic State”. He is also accused of financing terrorism. The 37-year-old Iraqi is also said to have shared violent IS propaganda on the Internet. There is said to be no connection between the two cases in Bavaria. But: “This second case within a few days underlines that the abstract threat situation remains high, particularly from Islamist terrorism,” emphasized Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU).
It’s not just in southern Germany that attack plans keep coming to light. In the spring, for example, two suspected Islamists were arrested near Gera in Thuringia. The two Afghans are accused of planning an attack with firearms near the Swedish parliament. They are said to have received instructions from an IS offshoot.
Seven suspected radical Islamists were also arrested in North Rhine-Westphalia last year. They are said to have formed a terrorist organization and planned attacks.