Syrian arrested in Bavaria to face charges of planning terror attack

A Syrian man, believed to be an Islamic State sympathizer, who was apprehended in the southern German state of Bavaria, is suspected of planning a terrorist-motivated attack, according to the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office.

Due to the suspicion of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state, charges have been filed against the 27-year-old at the Munich I Regional Court, the office announced on Wednesday.

The Syrian is alleged to have procured instructions and materials for the construction of an explosive or incendiary device.

The accused views the "fight against infidels" as his religious duty, investigators said.

At the end of October 2024, he reportedly obtained instructions to make explosives on the internet. His alleged goal: to create an unconventional explosive or incendiary device to carry out an attack and kill people in a nightclub or another location where many people gather.

Raid in December

The Syrian was arrested last December during a large-scale police operation in the area around the city of Schweinfurt in the region of Lower Franconia and was taken into custody.

According to reports, materials were discovered in his partner's apartment in the Schweinfurt area, which he intended to use for the construction of the explosive or incendiary device. However, there were no indications of concrete attack plans or specific threats posed by the man.

The regional court must now decide whether a trial will take place.

According to investigators, the arrest last December followed a tip-off about a possible contact between the man and the terrorist group Islamic State.

Subsequently, the police launched intensive investigations, which led to the arrest by a special task force.

The man reportedly did not resist arrest.