Politics Christmas market attack target? Terror investigations in Bavaria
Following the arrest of five terror suspects for an alleged planned attack on a Christmas market in Lower Bavaria, numerous questions remain to be answered. The Munich Public Prosecutor General's Office, which is investigating the case, did not initially reveal which Christmas market they were allegedly targeting, how specific the attack plans were and where the men were arrested. It was only announced that an Islamist motive was assumed, that the suspects were apparently targeting a Christmas market in the Dingolfing area and that the attack was probably to be carried out with a vehicle.
14.12.2025, 09:21
SDA
The five men had already been arrested by special forces on Friday. According to the security authorities, they had become aware of them two days earlier. It is not known how they tracked them down.
On Saturday, arrest warrants were issued for four of the men. One of them was taken into preventive custody, as confirmed by the Munich Public Prosecutor General's Office.
Preacher allegedly called for attack in mosque
According to the investigators, the men are a 56-year-old Egyptian, a 37-year-old Syrian and three Moroccans aged 22, 28 and 30. According to current information, the Egyptian, an Islamic preacher, is said to have called for an attack in a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area "to kill or injure as many people as possible", as the public prosecutor's office explained.
The three Moroccans are said to have been prepared to carry out the attack. They are accused of having agreed to commit murder. The Syrian is said to have encouraged the men in their decision. According to reports, there is no connection to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia.
The Central Office of the Public Prosecutor General for Combating Extremism and Terrorism led the operation, in which the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution was also involved. A foreign intelligence service was not involved, it was said. No further information was available until Sunday morning.
"Potential Islamist-motivated attack prevented"
"Thanks to the excellent cooperation of our security authorities, several suspects were arrested in a very short time and a potential Islamist-motivated attack in Bavaria was prevented," said Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU). This "impressively demonstrates the good reaction and efficiency of our security authorities and shows: We are able to protect our citizens!" Now the background must be clarified together with the Munich Public Prosecutor General's Office.
The security authorities have been paying particular attention to Christmas markets for some time - also because of previous attacks. On 19 December 2016, for example, a radicalized Islamist drove a truck into a crowd of people on Berlin's Breitscheidplatz, killing 13 people, one of whom died years later.
Last year, a driver deliberately drove through the Magdeburg Christmas market, killing six people and injuring more than 300 others. The trial of the confessed perpetrator from Saudi Arabia, who had been living in Germany since 2006, is currently underway at Magdeburg District Court.
