German Authorities Foil Suspected Islamist Plot to Attack Bavarian Christmas Market

Last December, a deadly attack occurred in Magdeburg, claiming several lives.

German authorities have apprehended five individuals suspected of being militant Islamists who were allegedly planning an attack on a Christmas market in southern Bavaria, according to a joint statement released by police and prosecutors.

Germany has experienced a series of vehicle ramming incidents since 2016, when an Islamist drove a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in central Berlin. The tragic pattern continued last December with a fatal attack in Magdeburg that resulted in multiple casualties.

The suspects, detained on Friday at the Suben border crossing between Germany and Austria, include three Moroccan nationals aged 22, 28, and 30, a 56-year-old Egyptian national, and a 37-year-old Syrian, as detailed in the joint statement released late Saturday.

Investigators believe the group intended to drive a vehicle into a crowded Christmas market in the Dingolfing-Landau area with the objective of causing mass casualties. Authorities have indicated they suspect an Islamist motivation behind the planned attack.