Five men have been arrested on suspicion of planning an attack on a Christmas market in Bavaria, Germany. Many questions remain unanswered in the case.
Here's what is known so far.
The five men were arrested on Friday and appeared before an investigating judge on Saturday (December 13.12). The Munich Public Prosecutor's Office is assuming that some of the suspects have an Islamist motive.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, those arrested include a 56-year-old Egyptian, a 37-year-old Syrian and three Moroccans aged 22, 28 and 30. According to the results of the investigation so far, the Egyptian, who is an Islamic preacher, allegedly called for an attack at a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area.
The stated goal, the prosecution said, was to "kill or injure as many people as possible." The attack was to be carried out with a vehicle, the type of which was not specified.
The operation was led by the Central Office of the General State Prosecutor's Office, which is responsible for combating extremism and terrorism. The Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order was also involved in the operation. As announced, no foreign intelligence services were involved.
Joachim Hermann (69, CSU), Bavarian Interior Minister, told the media: "I thank all the authorities who participated in the investigation and arrest operation, especially the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Bavarian Police. This case impressively demonstrates the excellent reaction and efficiency of our security authorities and shows: We are capable of protecting our citizens!"
What is not known:
It is still unclear which Christmas market was targeted. Dingolfing had a St. Nicholas Day market, which, according to the town's website, ended on December 7. The nearby Landau Christmas market also closed on December 7.
It is also not known when the attack was supposed to take place, nor how far along the alleged plans were.
It has not yet been announced where the suspects were arrested. The Bayern media group reported that the police operation was carried out "in the area of the Suben border crossing", that is, in the border area with Austria.
It has not been disclosed where the information about these men came from. An investigation into the exact background of the case is ongoing, and the General State Prosecutor's Office has emphasized that the presumption of innocence applies.
Security risks are ever-present during the Christmas market season
Security at German Christmas markets is a top priority for German authorities, especially after the failure to prevent attacks in recent years.
Last year on December 20, in the eastern German city of Magdeburg, 50-year-old Talib A., a Saudi Arabian national, drove an SUV at high speed into a Christmas market, killing six people and injuring more than 300. The perpetrator had previously shown unpredictable behavior and threatened violence, which prompted accusations of intelligence failures.
At the Christmas market in Berlin, the worst attack of its kind in Germany took place: on December 19, 2016, a rejected asylum seeker from Tunisia, loyal to the "Islamic State", drove a truck into people, killing 13 people and injuring 56 others. German intelligence agencies have admitted to failures in information sharing in the months leading up to the attack.
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