A man was detained Tuesday in Duisburg, Germany, due to “indications of a possible attack,” Essen police said in a statement, indicating that he was “known to the authorities” and was already “the subject of investigation.”
Authorities did not reveal further details about the identity of the suspect, but several local media outlets claim that he was a 29-year-old jihadist, Tarik S., who was preparing an attack on a pro-Israel demonstration.
The weekly Der Spiegel and the daily Bild claim that the police received information from a foreign intelligence service indicating that the man was searching the Internet for demonstrations in support of Israel and viewing jihadist content.
The items collected raised fears that the man was planning an attack with a truck, according to Der Spiegel, which cites sources close to the authorities.
The suspect, an Egyptian-German, joined the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria, where he arrived through Turkey in 2013.
Hundreds of pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrations have been held in Germany since October 7, when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, which responded with massive bombings in the Gaza Strip.
Source: TSF
