Duisburg raid in Germany thwarts alleged terror plot on Jewish event

In a recent operation, German law enforcement officials, equipped with tactical gear, carried out a raid on an apartment complex in Duisburg. Their objective was to arrest an individual believed to be orchestrating an Islamic terror attack targeting a Jewish gathering.

The details of this operation have been covered extensively by several German news outlets and have been confirmed by the local police department.

Leading German newspaper, Bild, has stated that the apprehended individual, identified as 29-year-old Tarik S. (complete surname withheld), was taken into custody following a tip-off from an international intelligence agency. The tip directed German authorities to the potential threat posed by Tarik, who had previously exhibited extremist tendencies. Notably, Tarik had fought alongside ISIS and had expressed a desire to achieve martyrdom.

SEK-Einsatz in #Duisburg, Zugriff auf Terrorverdächtigen Tarik S. (29), er wollte nach ersten Ermittlungen mit einem Laster in eine Pro-#Israel-Kundgebung rasen. Der Islamist saß bereits im Gefängnis, weil er für #ISIS in Syrien kämpfte. #terror #gaza #Israel_under_attack pic.twitter.com/AXKN3YW2Ma

— Frank Schneider (@chefreporterNRW) October 24, 2023

The intelligence data, as quoted by the newspaper, revealed Tarik's plans to drive a truck into a pro-Israel gathering in North Rhine-Westphalia with the intent of maximizing casualties.

Another German publication, Spiegel, highlighted the suspect's easy availability to a truck and his online search history, which included pro-Israel events and jihadist material. Due to his prior affiliations with terrorism and alerts from overseas intelligence agencies, Tarik has been on the radar of German security agencies for an extended period.

The report also suggested that the terror incident in Israel might have influenced Tarik's motivation for the planned attack.

Furthermore, the report elaborated on the suspect’s admiration for the ISIS operative responsible for a shooting incident in Brussels the previous week. The attack allegedly served as an inspiration for Tarik’s plot.

Additional details from the translated report pinpoint Tarik's origin to the jihadist community in Herford, Germany. In 2013, he reportedly traveled to Syria and aligned himself with ISIS. Using the moniker "Osama Al Almani," which translates to "Osama, the German," he purportedly posed with a decapitated victim. Upon his return to Germany in 2016, he faced arrest and was subsequently sentenced to a five-year imprisonment for affiliating with a terror organization.