Germany Arrests Syrian National Over Plot to Kill Soldiers

07 September 2024, Saxony-Anhalt, Schierke: A Bundeswehr helicopter flies to fight the forest fire in the Koenigsberg. Photo: Matthias Bein/dpa

A 27-year-old Syrian national suspected of extremism has been arrested over a plot to kill German soldiers with machetes in the Bavarian town of Hof, prosecutors said on Friday.
The accused obtained two machetes approximately 40 cm (15.75 inches) long. He planned to attack Bundeswehr soldiers in Hof who were spending their lunch break there, and to kill as many of them as possible, a statement said.
"With the act, the accused wanted to attract attention and create a feeling of uncertainty among the population," Reuters quoted it as saying.
Germany is tightening border controls after recent deadly knife attacks in which the suspects were asylum seekers.
ISIS claimed responsibility for a knife attack in the western city of Solingen that killed three people in August.
Immigration and security concerns have shot up the agenda ahead of elections in the state of Brandenburg, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is polling strongly.