Five Arrested in Plot to Attack German Christmas Market

Sun Dec 14 2025 20:12:30 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Authorities have detained five men in Germany linked to a suspected vehicle attack targeting a Christmas market, believed to be motivated by Islamist extremism.

In a significant security action, five men—three Moroccan nationals, an Egyptian, and a Syrian—were arrested in southern Bavaria over a plot to execute a vehicle assault on a Christmas market. The Egyptian individual allegedly called for the attack with the intent of mass casualties. This incident has heightened security measures and alertness across German markets following past attacks.

Five men have been arrested in Germany, suspected of being involved in a plot to drive a vehicle into people at a Christmas market.

Three Moroccans, an Egyptian, and a Syrian were detained on Friday over the plan to target a market in the southern Bavarian state. Authorities reported they suspected an Islamist motive behind the plot.

Prosecutors indicated the Egyptian individual—a 56-year-old—had allegedly called for a vehicle attack with the intent to kill or injure as many people as possible. The Moroccan men were believed to have agreed to carry out this heinous act.

Officials in Germany have remained vigilant following previous attacks at Christmas markets, notably the tragic event in Magdeburg last December that resulted in six fatalities.

While authorities have not disclosed specifics regarding when the planned attack was intended to occur or the exact market targeted, they have indicated a belief that it was aimed at a location in the Dingolfing-Landau area, northeast of Munich.

According to German newspaper Bild, the Egyptian man served as an imam at a local mosque.

The Moroccan men, aged 30, 28, and 22, were arrested on suspicions of conspiracy to commit murder, whereas the 37-year-old Syrian was accused of encouraging the decision to commit the crime.

Following their arrest, the five suspects appeared before a magistrate on Saturday and have been placed in custody.

Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria's state interior minister, attributed the operation's success to the excellent cooperation between our security services, which helped avert a potentially disastrous Islamist-motivated attack.

Christmas markets are a cherished festive tradition in Germany, widely frequented by locals and tourists alike. In recent years, security has been significantly heightened due to the 2016 Berlin market attack, where a truck drove into a crowd, claiming 12 lives.