A Libyan national has been arrested in Germany over a suspected ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office arrested a suspected supporter of the so-called Islamic State terror group in the Bernau suburb of Berlin, the Welt newspaper reports.
The Libyan man is said to have plotted an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin, but police were able to arrest him before he could carry out the plot.
The suspect is reported to have planned to flee to a relative’s home in the west German town of Sankt Augustin outside of Cologne after the attack and ultimately leave the country.
The relative is not currently believed to have been involved in the planning of the attack but is rather being treated as a witness.
Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor expressed gratitude to German authorities “for guaranteeing the security of our embassy”.
“The Muslim anti-Semitism is not limited to hateful rhetoric, but promotes global terrorism,” Prosor continued. “The employees of the Israeli embassy are particularly at risk because they are on the front line of diplomacy.”
The interior minister of the local North Rhine-Westphalia state, Herbert Reul added: “This arrest today was a success – but at the same time also a warning to the people who want to threaten Jewish life in Germany: We are on your trail!”
The plot comes just a few weeks after an 18-year-old Austrian citizen, Bosnian-heritage migrant opened fire on the Israeli consulate in Munich and at the nearby National Socialism Documentation Centre museum.
The migrant had attempted to breach the walls of the consulate with a riffle but was unable to do so and was eventually shot and killed by authorities.
There have been heightened tensions in Germany, like many other European nations with large Muslim populations, following the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and the subsequent invasion of Gaza.
Last month, Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Semitism said that the country has “experienced a tsunami of antisemitism since October 7th.”
He said that last year there were around 5,000 antisemitic crimes committed in Germany, half of which were committed in the three months following the terror attacks on Israel.
