The 2016 Düsseldorf terrorism plot was a reported plot by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to carry out a series of bombings and shootings in multiple sections of the German city of Düsseldorf similar to those carried out in Paris in November 2015. The plot was foiled after one of the conspirators, Saleh A., 25, turned himself in to French authorities in February 2016. He told authorities he was aware of Islamic State's "sleeper cell" in Germany preparing to assassinate Germany. Saleh A. was questioned several times by anti-terror experts and subsequently charged with cooperating with terrorist organization and detained.[1] This resulted in arrests of three of the members of the conspiracy on 2 June, following several months of further investigation.[2]
| 2016 Düsseldorf terrorism plot | |
|---|---|
| Part of Islamic terrorism in Europe | |
| Location |  Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Date | Suspects arrested on June 2, 2016 |
Attack type | Bombings and shootings |
| Perpetrators | 4 |
Plot
editThe plot involved up to 10 conspirators travelling from Syria to engage in a series of suicide bombings and mass shootings in central Düsseldorf. Explosives were planned to be detonated on the main road near the Stadtbahn station, while their armed counterparts would have carried out further killings with weapons and more explosives.[3] The plot was to involve attacks on the Heinrich-Heine-Allee street, as well as other attacks in the Altstadt district of the city.[4][5]
Suspects
editThree of the suspects were registered as refugees and lived in migrants residences throughout Germany, which fueled the debate over Germany's policy during the European migrant crisis. The man arrested in France, Saleh A., and the suspect arrested in Wriezen, Brandenburg, Hamza C., travelled to Turkey together in May 2014, then traveled separately to Greece and north through Europe 2014 and entered Germany via the Balkan route in 2015. An explosives expert, Abd Arahman A.K., who had received training in explosives while in Syria,[6] was arrested in Leimen, Baden-Württemberg, travelled to Germany in October 2014 via the Balkans. The fourth suspect, Mahood B., resided in Mühlheim, Germany before he was convinced by Saleh A. and Hamza C. to participate in the plot.[7][needs update]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Details of Düsseldorf terror plot begin to emerge | DW | 03.06.2016". DW.COM. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
- ^ "Details of Düsseldorf terror plot begin to emerge". Deutsche Welle. 3 June 2016.
- ^ Eddy, Melissa (2016-06-02). "Germany Charges 4 Syrians in Plot to Attack Düsseldorf (Published 2016)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
- ^ "Düsseldorf terror plot 'bigger than previously realized'". The Local. 3 June 2016.
- ^ "Germany arrests three Syrians suspected of attack plot in Düsseldorf". France24. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ Eddy, Melissa (2016-06-02). "Germany Charges 4 Syrians in Plot to Attack Düsseldorf (Published 2016)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
- ^ "Anschlagsgefahr in Deutschland "unverändert hoch"" [Terrorist attacks in Germany "remains high"]. Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 14 November 2016.