German prosecutors have charged a Russian national with planning a terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and attempting to join the militant group Islamic State (IS).
The suspect, identified as Akhmad E. under German privacy laws, allegedly began plotting an attack in early February. Prosecutors said he sought to manufacture explosives using instructions obtained online, but his plans failed after he was unable to secure the necessary components.
According to federal prosecutors, the accused was arrested in February at Berlin airport, where he was allegedly preparing to travel to Pakistan for military training with IS. Investigators believe he financed the trip by selling expensive smartphones, which he had acquired through fraudulent mobile phone contracts.
Beyond the alleged attack plot, authorities also accuse him of translating Islamic State propaganda into Russian and Chechen in support of the group’s recruitment and radicalisation efforts.
On August 7, prosecutors formally charged him with preparing and inciting a serious act of violence endangering the state. He also faces charges, as a minor, of attempting to join a foreign terrorist organisation.
The suspect remains in detention as the case proceeds.
Melissa Enoch
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