“Investigations show that he has been trained militarily in Syria”, German police said in a statement, AFP added. Mass-selling daily Bild said there were indications that the suspects may have planned to attack Alexanderplatz, a busy transport hub in central Berlin close to the television tower, a top tourist attraction and Germany’s tallest building.
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Some 450 officers took part in the operation sweeping Berlin, and the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. The raids came after a tip-off regarding the prospect of a terrorist attack from Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).
The arrests were made in Berlin and at a refugee home in the western town of Attendorn, Berlin police spokesman Stefan Redlich said. Algerian authorities believe he is a member of ISIL. The man had allegedly entered the European Union several months ago posing as a refugee.
Authorities suspect that the four men had contacts with the IS group and say that one of them – the man arrested in Attendorn – is sought by Algerian authorities for belonging to the extremist group.
A woman was also detained in the course of the raids, although police did not specify the reason for the arrest.
Meanwhile in Berlin, a 49-year-old suspect was also taken into custody.
The second Algerian man was arrested on suspicion of falsifying identity documents. Two of the four suspects had allegedly sought to pass themselves off as Syrian refugees.
German authorities cancelled a friendly worldwide football match in Hanover last year and closed stations in Munich at New Year due to security concerns.
Two other suspects, including an Algerian man who was at a refugee home in the city of Hannover, were questioned but not immediately charged.
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But the latest arrests risk compounding fears that jihadists are taking advantage of the massive influx of asylum seekers to Europe to slip in undetected.
