Berlin IS terror suspect identified German capital’s landmarks as targets

From Deutsche Welle

Details surrounding the arrest of a suspected so-called “Islamic State” (IS) terrorist in Berlin were released on Thursday, following the Federal Court of Justice’s (BGH) decision to extend the man’s investigation by three months.

The 19-year-old Syrian allegedly identified the capital’s tourist trap Alexanderplatz, the Brandenburg Gate, and the area around the Reichstag – Germany’s parliamentary building – as targets for an IS attack.

The man is said to have then reported his findings to a contact back in his home county in February. Information included how many people and buses were present at different times of the day.

He was arrested a month later, and charged in October on account of being an IS member.

At the time, the man was known to have fought in Syria and to have found potential targets for terror attacks in Berlin. It wasn’t  known, however, specifically where. He is also accused of being a contact person for potential attackers. According to the BGH’S decision, the suspected terrorist also offered “to commit an IS attack in Germany himself with two unknown people.”

The man arrived in Germany as an asylum seeker in summer 2015. The court hearing is due to be held in Berlin.

Berlin police last week arrested another Syrian man on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack, but the BGH did not find enough evidence to detain him on terror charges. Twenty-seven-year-old Ashraf Al-T. remains in custody, however, on charges of falsifying documents.