Germany arrests Syria man suspected of planning bomb attack

German authorities arrested a Syrian man yesterday in a suspected case of plans to manufacture bombs and blow up civilian targets.

In raids involving hundreds of police officers yesterday morning, German authorities arrested a 28-year-old Syrian national in an operation ordered by public prosecutors in the northern port city of Hamburg.

The man, according to authorities, is believed to have bought raw materials for bomb-making off the internet over the course of several weeks, with apparent plans to hit civilian targets. Prosecutors and police, however, had no indication of a specific target.

The man reportedly had the support of his younger 24-year-old brother, who lives in the southern state of Bavaria and helped and encouraged his efforts. The two have remained unnamed, however, and their identities have not been released.

Authorities have blamed the suspect of a plot to make and use an explosive belt on an alleged “radical Islamist and jihadist motivation”, with reports stating that the older brother’s phone contents were inspected and probed.

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