A 17-year-old Syrian refugee who entered Germany through a family reunification program has been arrested in Hamburg over allegations that he was planning an Islamic State-inspired terror attack using homemade explosives, Molotov cocktails, or a knife.
The teenager, who was already known to police, was living legally in Germany with a valid residence permit, according to the Hamburg Interior Ministry, cited on Tuesday by Welt.
The German newspaper reported that the suspect holds Syrian citizenship and was granted refugee status after arriving in Germany from Turkey on April 4, 2022, together with his mother. He was registered in Hamburg and had lived with his parents in a shared apartment in the city.
He is now being held in pretrial detention at the Hamburg juvenile detention center on the Lower Saxon island of Hahnöfersand.
Prosecutors accuse the teenager of preparing a terror attack and of financing terrorism. Investigators believe he intended to kill an unspecified number of “infidels” and had considered several possible targets in Hamburg, including a shopping mall, a bar, or a police station.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the suspect is alleged to have explored different methods of attack, including using homemade explosives, Molotov cocktails, or a knife. German media reported that he had been showing signs of mental illness in the lead-up to his arrest.
Bild reported that during searches, officers reportedly seized universal fertilizer, liquid barbecue lighter fluid, a balaclava, and a knife, all of which could have been used as part of an attack.
The teenager was arrested by Hamburg police special forces on May 7 following investigations involving several German federal agencies. He is believed to have been radicalized by Islamic extremist ideology, and had spoken of his attack plans on the Telegram messaging app.
He was already known to authorities for posting IS-related content on social media.
A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered.
