Police In Germany Arrest Five Foreign Nationals For Planning Terrorist Attack On Christmas Market

German authorities arrested five men Friday on suspicion of plotting a vehicle attack on a Christmas market in Bavaria.

Police detained three Moroccan nationals, ages 22, 28 and 30, a 56-year-old Egyptian and a 37-year-old Syrian, in the Dingolfing area of Lower Bavaria, according to German outlet Bild.

The Egyptian suspect served as a prayer leader at a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area. Investigators allege he called on the three Moroccan men to carry out the attack during gatherings at the mosque. Authorities said the goal was “to kill or injure as many people as possible.”

The suspects planned to drive a vehicle into a crowded Christmas market, according to prosecutors. (RELATED: Letting The Terrorists Win: Christmas Markets Ruined Following Attacks)

BREAKING: German police stopped an Islamist attack targeting a Bavarian Christmas market.

Five suspects arrested: an Egyptian, a Syrian, and three Moroccans. Prosecutors say the plan was to ram a vehicle into crowds, with calls from a local mosque to maximize casualties.

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— Yossi BenYakar (@YossiBenYakar) December 14, 2025

A Munich court issued arrest warrants Saturday for the Egyptian and three Moroccans after they appeared before a judge. The Syrian suspect, who allegedly encouraged the others in their plan, remains in preventive custody. Investigators suspect an Islamist motivation behind the plot.

The Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution provided the tip that led to the arrests.

Munich General State Prosecutor Reinhard Röttle praised the swift action.

“The quick response shows how effectively the cooperation between the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, police and the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism works within Bavaria’s security architecture,” the outlet reported Röttle as saying.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann thanked the agencies involved.

“We are in the position to protect our citizens,” Herrmann said. “A potentially Islamist-motivated attack in Bavaria was prevented.”