German police have apprehended seven men accused of planning a terrorist attack, inspired by the Islamic State (IS) group, in the country. According to the federal prosecutor's office, the suspects, originating from central Asia, were known to each other for some time and shared radical Islamic ideology. The men had travelled to Germany from Ukraine around the same time when the conflict in Ukraine broke out in early 2022. Forming a cell in June 2022, the group aimed to commit headline-grabbing terrorist attacks in the spirit of IS. Prosecutors revealed that the suspects had identified potential targets in Germany, scouted crime scenes, and attempted to acquire weapons before their plans were thwarted.
 
The suspects, consisting of five Turkmenistan citizens, one from Tajikistan, and another from Kyrgyzstan, were apprehended by German police in various locations within the western region of North Rhine-Westphalia.
 
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasised the acute threat of Islamic terrorism and commended the focused efforts of security forces in combating such threats.
 
Additionally, Dutch authorities arrested a Tajikistani suspect and his Kyrgyz wife, accusing them of committing preparatory acts for terrorism offences. The male suspect was also suspected of membership in the terrorist organisation Islamic State.