Syrian man arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning machete attack on soldiers in Bavaria

MUNICH (GERMANY), 13 Sep. (DPA/EP) –

German authorities have arrested a Syrian national suspected of planning a machete attack on soldiers in the southeastern state of Bavaria, the Munich prosecutor’s office said, stressing that the man was seeking to kill as many soldiers as possible in the city of Hof.

The 27-year-old is accused of planning an attack with two machetes in the city centre, according to the prosecution, which has stated that the suspect had already purchased the weapons in question.

Investigators believe that the young man, arrested on Thursday in Hof, some 300 kilometres north of Munich, is a follower of a radical Islamic ideology. The suspect is being held in custody while investigations by the Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism of the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office continue.