German police arrest 6 Syrians over Daesh attack plot

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

Germany arrested six Syrian citizens on Tuesday on suspicion of having ties to the terrorist group Daesh and of planning an attack in the country.

Police in the central German state of Hessen said the suspects, who were aged between 20 and 28, were taken into custody when police raided several houses in the cities of Kassel, Hannover, Essen and Leipzig.

The suspects arrived in Germany as asylum seekers between 2014 and 2015, and were suspected of being members of the Daesh terrorist group, police said.

“They are also suspected of making preparations for an attack in Germany using arms or explosive material. According to present information, the planning of the attack has not yet been completed,” police said.

Around 500 police officers took part in the raids in the early hours of Tuesday.