Germany: Christmas Market Attack Plot Foiled, Several Suspects Arrested Including Syrian

German authorities announced they had foiled a planned attack on a Christmas market in Dingolfing, Lower Bavaria, during a security operation carried out on Friday.

Investigators confirmed that at least four men were arrested, including three North Africans and one Egyptian. A fifth suspect is believed to be Syrian, though his involvement has not yet been determined.

The Munich prosecutor’s office stated that four suspects have already appeared before an investigating judge, who ordered pre-trial detention. The fifth remains in preventive custody pending further investigation.

According to the newspaper Bild, the Egyptian suspect worked as an imam or muezzin and allegedly incited the others to carry out the attack. Reports also indicated that a foreign intelligence service provided crucial information that helped thwart the plot.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann praised the swift and effective response of the security forces, describing the case as a “potential Islamist-motivated attack.” Investigations are ongoing.

The incident recalls the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 13 people, as well as the December 2024 car-ramming in Magdeburg that left six dead.

Sources - Agencies