A plot to attack the Israeli embassy in Berlin was foiled by German authorities, with a Libyan man suspected of having links to the Islamic State group appearing before a judge in Karlsruhe today.
The suspect, identified in court as Omar A., is accused of planning a “high-level firearms attack” against the Israeli delegation in the German capital.
The announcement was made today by the Federal Public Ministry, which announced the arrest of the accused last night.
The 28-year-old Libyan was arrested at his home in Bernau, a community neighboring Berlin, during a major police operation with the help of special forces.
“Our security services acted in time to prevent possible plans to attack the Israeli embassy in Berlin”, commented the Minister of the Interior, Nancy Fazer, highlighting today “the growing threat of Islamic, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel violence”.
Omar A. is suspected of being “a supporter of the ideology of the Islamic State”, according to the indictment, and “had contact with a member of the Islamic State on a messaging service” to plan his attack.
According to the Bild newspaper, German authorities were mobilized thanks to a tip from foreign intelligence services. The Libyan, he adds, arrived in Germany in November 2022 and submitted an asylum application, which was rejected on September 28, 2023.
In turn, the Israeli ambassador in Berlin, Ron Prossor, thanked the German authorities with a message on the social network X, “for guaranteeing the security of our embassy”.