German police detain Islamist but will not confirm whether concrete attack was planned
Record ID:
877267
German police detain Islamist but will not confirm whether concrete attack was planned
- Title: German police detain Islamist but will not confirm whether concrete attack was planned
- Date: 30th May 2017
- Summary: POTSDAM, GERMANY (MAY 30, 2017) (REUTERS) POTSDAM POLICE SPOKESMAN, TORSTEN HERBST, COMING OUT OF POLICE STATION NAME BADGE READING: HERBST (SOUNDBITE) (German) POTSDAM POLICE SPOKESMAN, TORSTEN HERBST, SAYING: "The Brandenburg police were given a tip off by two federal states last night, from Berlin and Hesse, that a 17-year-old said goodbye to his mother via Whatsapp and told her that he was going to join the Jihad. As a result of this the police immediately took the necessary actions in the night and this morning our Special Forces unit took action and took the 17-year-old into custody." SIGN READING: (German) PRESS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (German) POTSDAM POLICE SPOKESMAN, TORSTEN HERBST, SAYING: "We got the news over night that there were possible concrete attack plans that he was supposedly in possession of. All police units in Brandenburg have until now not found any indication that he had prepared concrete attack plans." POLICE VAN (SOUNDBITE) (German) POTSDAM POLICE SPOKESMAN, TORSTEN HERBST, SAYING: "In the search of the rooms in the home for unaccompanied refugee minors where he is staying in the Uckermark three mobile phones and one tablet were seized. We can say with a high level of certainty that the tablet belongs to the 17-year-old. We have no information at the moment who the three cell phones belong. All four objects are currently being examined by the state office of criminal investigation." BRANDENBURG POLICE SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (German) POTSDAM POLICE SPOKESMAN, TORSTEN HERBST, SAYING: "At the moment we are working along the lines of threat prevention. We have no concrete suspicion of a crime. At the moment he simply told her that he was bidding her adieu and that he was joining the Jihad. At the moment we have no further information. More details will hopefully become clear after the questioning of the 17-year-old." POLICE LAPEL (SOUNDBITE) (German) POTSDAM POLICE SPOKESMAN, TORSTEN HERBST, SAYING: "According to our current information he came to Germany illegally in 2015, since autumn 2016 he has been living in the home in the Uckermark and after his illegal entry was not a presence on any police radar again. He is a blank sheet." HERBST TALKING TO REPORTER
- Embargoed: 13th June 2017 17:11
- Keywords: Islamist Berlin Germany attack Syria
- Location: POTSDAM, GERMANY
- City: POTSDAM, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA0016J171HJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: German police on Tuesday (May 30) detained a 17-year-old militant, who a spokesman for the Interior Ministry in the state of Brandenburg said was a Syrian planning a suicide attack in Berlin, citing a report by the German news agency DPA.
However, Brandenburg police said they had not yet found evidence that the suspect, who was arrested in the Uckermark region north-east of Berlin, was planning an attack.
Police said the suspect sent a Whatsapp message to his mother saying goodbye and saying he was going to join Jihad.
Memories are still fresh in Germany of the Berlin Christmas market attack last December, in which 12 people were killed by a failed asylum seeker who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
Last Wednesday, police arrested four suspected Islamists in dawn raids in Berlin as the German capital geared up for a long weekend of mass gatherings, capped by a joint appearance by Chancellor Angela Merkel and former U.S. president Barack Obama. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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