An 18-year-old Russian national with possible links to the Islamic State has been arrested on suspicion of planning to bomb the Israeli embassy in Berlin, Berliner Morgenpost reported on Friday.
The teen, who is from the Chechen Republic in Russia, was arrested on Thursday and placed in investigative custody in Brandenburg on Friday, local police said in a statement.
The teen was arrested at Berlin Brandenburg Airport after he had already checked in for a flight to Turkey. He reportedly planned to fly to the Islamic State caliphate to join ISIS, receive training, and then return to Germany with weapons.
Berliner Morgenpost reported that he had contact with other ISIS supporters in Germany who shared his views and had already left the country to join the terrorist organization.
Chechen teen radicalized online
The Chechen teen became radicalized on the internet and was not planning to carry out his attack alone, Bild reported.
The newspaper named the suspect Akhmad I., a Russian national who lived in Potsdam. The area of Russia he hails from is a predominantly Muslim region.
The Joint Counter-Terrorism Center in the capital was already aware of the case and had been discussing it, German media reported.
Foreign intelligence services provided German police with a tip-off, Bild reported.
He was brought before a judge on Friday, who issued a warrant for his arrest.
“Especially with the Bundestag election on Sunday in mind, it unfortunately seems likely that terrorist organizations and foreign dictatorships will once again try to destabilize our democracy with targeted attacks,” said Benjamin Jendro of the Berlin Police Department.
In October 2024, authorities foiled an attack on the embassy by an ISIS supporter from Libya.