Germany Arrests Five in Bavaria Christmas Market Plot

German authorities arrested five men on Friday suspected of plotting a vehicle ramming attack on a Christmas market in the Dingolfing-Landau district of Bavaria, preventing what officials described as a potentially deadly assault during the holiday season.

The suspects include a 56-year-old Egyptian national, a 37-year-old Syrian man, and three Moroccan nationals aged 22, 28, and 30. Prosecutors in Munich issued arrest warrants for four of the men, while the fifth was placed in preventive custody. All appeared before a magistrate on Saturday and remain detained. Investigators believe the plot was motivated by radical Islamist ideology, with the Egyptian suspect allegedly serving as the ringleader. According to the preliminary investigation, he called for the attack during a gathering at a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area, urging participants to use a vehicle to kill or injure as many people as possible. The three Moroccan suspects are accused of agreeing to carry out the ramming, while the Syrian man is suspected of encouraging the group to proceed.

Authorities have not disclosed the specific market targeted or the intended timing of the attack, citing ongoing security...