German authorities arrest man suspected of planning attack on Israeli embassy

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities have arrested a man with suspected ties to the extremist group Islamic State who was allegedly planning an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin.

The man was detained on Saturday in Bernau, a town just outside of Berlin. The German news agency dpa reported that the suspect was expected to be brought before an investigating judge at the country’s highest court, the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Berlin confirmed to dpa that there had been a plan to attack the diplomatic mission. Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor thanked the German security authorities “for ensuring the security of our embassy,” dpa reported.

News of the case first came from the Bild newspaper, which reported that a heavily armed elite police unit stormed the suspect’s apartment in Bernau and that police also raided an apartment in the western German town of Sankt Augustin in connection with the case.

Bild reported that German authorities acted after receiving a tipoff from an unspecified foreign intelligence agency.

The Associated Press