State security investigators in Elmshorn, Schleswig-Holstein, have announced they will bring charges against a 17-year-old male from a Turkish background alleged to have planned a terror attack on a local Christmas market.
Reports indicate that the suspect was aiming to intentionally kill people by driving a truck into them, a method of attack used with increasing frequency worldwide. The charges are based on intercepted conversations and electronic messages, which reportedly also reveal an Islamist motive.
The suspect was first brought to the attention of the Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Criminal Police Office) following a tip-off from U.S. intelligence in the spring of 2023, and was arrested on November 6th. Senior public prosecutor Bernd Winterfeldt told BILD:
I can confirm that we are investigating on suspicion of preparing a serious state-endangering violent act and conspiring to commit a crime, namely murder.
The suspect is being held in the Schleswig prison. The investigation has noted at least one previous encounter between the accused and local law enforcement authorities.
In previous years, the traditional German Christmas market has become a target for Islamist terrorism.
