German police arrest five men over Christmas market attack plot

German authorities arrested five men suspected of planning a vehicle attack on a Christmas market in the Dingolfing-Landau area of Lower Bavaria.

The suspects were arrested on Friday evening by special operations forces. Security authorities became aware of the suspects two days earlier, though authorities have not disclosed how they identified them.

The five suspects are a 56-year-old Egyptian, three Moroccans aged 30, 28 and 22, and a 37-year-old Syrian. Four of them are now in custody after appearing before a magistrate on Saturday and one was placed in preventive detention.

The Egyptian suspect, described as an Islamic preacher, allegedly called for an attack during gatherings at a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area.

Authorities said he urged followers to use a vehicle to kill or injure as many people as possible at a Christmas market during the festive season. Under criminal law, this is currently classified as attempted murder.

The three Moroccan men are suspected of agreeing to carry out the attack, while the Syrian allegedly encouraged them in their plan.

Authorities said they are currently assuming an Islamist motivation, though no link to the so-called Islamic State terror group has been established.

The men were arrested near the Suben border crossing on the German-Austrian border, according to multiple media reports.

'Threat stopped at a very early stage'

Authorities have not identified which specific Christmas market was targeted or when the attack was planned. Christmas markets in Dingolfing and nearby Landau ended on 7 December.

Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said on Sunday there were no plans for an attack "on a specific day or at a specific Christmas market" according to current investigations.

"The threat was stopped at a very early stage," Herrmann said. He added he does not believe the attack was imminent.

The operation was led by the Central Unit for Combating Extremism and Terrorism of the Munich Public Prosecutor General's Office, with support from Bavaria's Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Contrary to earlier reports, a foreign intelligence service was not involved.

Herrmann thanked the authorities involved, saying the case "impressively demonstrates the high level of responsiveness and efficiency of our security forces." He said the arrests prevented "a potentially Islamist-motivated attack in Bavaria." Technical devices including mobile phones will now be analysed as part of the investigation.

Threat level remains high

Christmas markets in the Dingolfing-Landau district are continuing as planned, district administrator Werner Bumeder said.

Security measures at Bavarian Christmas markets are not being tightened, with the threat level remaining "abstractly high" as already determined at the start of the season. Police presence remains correspondingly high, though authorities said no specific targets are known.

Herrmann had announced at the end of November that markets would have a strong police presence, checks on people and bags, and monitoring of a knife ban in force since October 2024.

Christmas markets have been targets of attacks in Germany in recent years. In December 2016, a radicalised Islamist drove a lorry into crowds at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz Christmas market, killing 13 people.

Last year, a car attack at Magdeburg's Christmas market killed six people and injured 338 others.

The trial of the confessed attacker, a Saudi-born doctor who has lived in Germany since 2006, is ongoing at Magdeburg District Court.