He buys components of his bomb via eBay

BET À DAY

The German authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of a 28-year-old Syrian man with “radical Islamist and jihadist” convictions, suspected of having planned with the complicity of his brother an explosive attack in Germany.

The main suspect, a resident of Hamburg, in the north of the country, was arrested after searches carried out by the federal police.

He is suspected of 'having sought “to manufacture a homemade explosive belt in order to perpetrate an attack targeting civilian targets”, said the police and the Hamburg public prosecutor's office in a press release.

To this end, he has purchased for several weeks via the eBay platform and other suppliers of components that can be used to manufacture explosives.

His 24-year-old brother, who lives in Kempten in Bavaria (south), would have supported him in his project, and would thus have been his accomplice.

“There is no indication of a target of the attack,” said the authorities.

Some 250 police officers took part in the searches in Hamburg and Kempten as well as among acquaintances of the two men. They seized several pieces of evidence, including chemicals.

In another case, a knife attack in a fitness center in Duisburg committed on April 18, investigators have retained an “Islamist” motive, the Düsseldorf public prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

A Syrian from The 26-year-old is the main suspect in this attack which injured four people, one of them very seriously. The alleged perpetrator was arrested overnight from Saturday to Sunday.

An analysis of his mobile phone led investigators to favor the Islamist track, according to the prosecution. During a search of the suspect's home, the police also discovered two knives likely to have been used in the attack.

The German authorities have remained on the alert in recent years in the face of a double threat terrorism, jihadism and right-wing extremism.

Germany has been the victim of jihadist attacks, in particular a ramming truck attack claimed by the Islamic State group which left 12 dead in December 2016 in Berlin. This jihadist attack is the deadliest ever committed on German soil.