Police in Germany have arrested ten people on suspicion of planning an Islamist terror attack.
The arrests were made after some 200 police officers carried out raids in the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.
According to the initial investigation, the accused were planning to use a vehicle and firearms to kill as many “unbelievers” as possible. They had rented a large vehicle, made contact with weapons dealers, and started to raise funds.
During the raids, police found and seized over €20,000 in cash, several knives, small quantities of narcotics, a variety of documents and electronic data storage equipment.
Hesse state interior minister Peter Beuth said police intervened in a timely manner to prevent possible attack plans at an early stage.
There were no details on the nationalities of the suspects, whose ages were given at between 20 and 42 years. They live in the Frankfurt, Offenbach, Wiesbaden and Mainz areas. Eleven people were initially arrested but the investigation was centered on ten suspects.
The main suspects were a 21-year old man from Offenbach and two 31-year-old brothers from Wiesbaden, all associated with the local Islamist Salafist community. All are German citizens.
The charges include funding terrorism and conspiring to commit a crime.
