Two Muslims suspected of planning terror attacks in Germany have been arrested during widespread raid against radical Islamists.
Police in the town of Göttingen, the state of Lower Saxon (Niedersachsen), arrested the two men suspected of plotting a terror attack on Wednesday evening, officials announced on Thursday (9 February).
The men arrested, a 27-year-old Algerian and a 23-year-old Nigerian, are members of a Salafist group that was planning attacks. Salafists are ultra-conservative Islamists.
Police would not comment on the exact alleged plans by the two suspects, but they had reportedly been long active in the Islamist scene. Both had lived for years with their families in Göttingen.
Police said 450 officers had carried out the raids on 19 sites after receiving indications of a “possible concrete impending terrorist attack”.
Göttingen’s police chief Uwe Lührig said that they had gained knowledge of the attack in the past few days, and therefore a quick police operation was necessary.
“We had, in my assessment, absolutely no other option,” Lührig said.
Sola Jolaoso
THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.