The police have temporarily arrested a terror suspect in Duisburg. The man is said to have planned an attack on pro-Israel demonstrations. The Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor General’s Office took over the investigation.
The “Bild” and the “Spiegel” first reported on it. The tip came from a foreign intelligence service, security circles confirmed to WDR on Tuesday evening.
The apartment of the man known to the police was searched in Duisburg’s Dellviertel around 5:40 p.m. and the suspect was temporarily taken into custody, the police said Eat with that the operational command had. He was then temporarily arrested in the evening.
Convicted Islamist from Duisburg
According to WDR information, it is 29-year-old Tarik S., a convicted Islamist Duisburg. He was born in Bielefeld and is a German citizen. He is said to come from the jihadist scene in Herford. In 2013, Tarik S. fought in Syria and was later sentenced to a five-year youth prison sentence in Germany.
He is said to have specifically searched for pro-Israel events and jihadist content online. According to WDR information, the authorities assumed that he had access to a truck that he could have used for the attack.
Tarik S. is classified as a threat in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to WDR information, 186 people in North Rhine-Westphalia are currently considered Islamist threats. Of these, a high double-digit number are classified as “ready for action” and are being intensively monitored by the police.
There is a danger that the situation in the Middle East will radicalize Islamists
Regardless of the outcome of the ongoing investigations in Duisburg, according to ARD terrorism expert Michael Götschenberg, “there is a risk that the situation in the Middle East will emotionalize and radicalize Islamists here in such a way that they decide to carry out an attack “.
We will also report on this topic on October 24th, 2023 in the radio news as well as in the “Aktuelle Hour” and in “WDR aktuell” at 9:45 p.m. on WDR television.