Iraqi Man Arrested in Germany for Planning Attacks

German authorities in the Barnim region near Berlin have arrested a 24-year-old Iraqi national suspected of planning a series of Islamist attacks.

According to the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe, as reported by the DPA news agency, the man shares the ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State. His targets were people he considered infidels.

He chose a church in the northern German city of Bremen as his first intended target, having conducted reconnaissance of the site in advance and acquired a firearm.

The detained man has been placed in pretrial detention and faces serious charges. The prosecutor's office has charged him with attempting to establish a terrorist organization, preparing a serious violent act threatening the state and violating the weapons act.

(max)