Terrorist plot orchestrated by Libyan affiliated with ISIS targeted Israel’s mission to Berlin, German authorities announce.
By World Israel News Staff
German authorities foiled a planned terrorist attack against the Israeli embassy in Berlin over the weekend, the state prosecutor’s office announced on Sunday.
The suspect has been identified only as “Omar A.,” a 28-year-old Libyan national residing in Germany who according to a statement by the Public Prosecutor of Germany’s office, is affiliated with the Islamic State in Syria terrorist organization.
Omar A. allegedly contacted an ISIS operative abroad via an online chat service to assist him in planning the attack.
After the attack, Omar A. had planned to find refuge at his uncle’s residence, before fleeing the country, Bild reported.
Prosecutors did not reveal details of the suspect’s planned attack.
Police arrested Omar A. on Saturday in Bernau, a town near Berlin, local media outlets reported.
Omar is slated to be brought before a Federal Court of Justice on Monday for an extension of his remand.
According to a statement by a spokesperson for the national prosecutor, police were tipped off about the terror plot by a foreign intelligence agency, while declining to name which country was involved in foiling the attack.
“Muslim antisemitism is no longer just hateful rhetoric; it leads to and encourages terrorist activities worldwide,” said Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor on Sunday.
“This is yet another example of Israeli embassies being on the front line of the diplomatic battlefield. I would like to commend the German law enforcement authorities for their intensive efforts to ensure the safety of the official representatives of the State of Israel.”
Nancy Faeser, the Federal Minister of the Interior and Community of Germany, touted Omar A.’s timely arrest.
“Our security authorities acted in time to thwart possible plans to attack the Israeli embassy in Berlin,’ Faeser tweeted on Sunday. “This shows that protecting Jewish and Israeli institutions in our country is vital and of the utmost importance to us.”