German police arrest 18-year-old over far-right attack plot

An 18-year-old man is in detention on suspicion of plotting a violent attack, the criminal police office (LKA) for the German state of Hesse and the public prosecutors office in Frankfurt said in a joint statment issued on Monday.

“The suspicion of preparing a serious state-endangering act of violence and of violating firearms laws stands against him,” authorities said. “The 18-year-old repeatedly threatened in pertinent [online] forums to want to kill people for the advancement of his political goals. The existing investigations revealed a hardened, violent, antisemitic and far-right fundamental attitude.”

The state of Hesse’s interior minister, Peter Beuth, praised investigators on Monday, saying their “professional investigative work” had “already in the opening stages” identified strong indications of plans for an attack.

Investigations against the teenager had started several months ago, according to authorities.

Hesse’s police searched his home on November 15, seizing weapons and ammunition as well as several digital storage devices like computers and mobile phones. The next day, a juvenile court judge in Frankfurt ordered the suspect be placed in investigative detention.

Read more: Deutsche Welle