A 16-year-old Syrian and three of his relatives were arrested on Thursday in Germany following a threat to launch an "Islamic" motivated attack on a Jewish synagogue during Yom Kippur. Herbert Reul, the Minister of the Interior for North Rhine-Westphalia, confirmed, "There was a threat of an attack on the Hagen synagogue" in western Germany, commending the police for their actions that "likely prevented it." He asserted that there was no doubt the threat had "Islamic motives."
State government leader Armin Laschet stated, "It seems an Islamic motivated attack was avoided before the start of Yom Kippur (the main Jewish holiday)." The celebration of Yom Kippur at the synagogue in Hagen, a city with a population of 180,000 located in the former Ruhr industrial basin, was suddenly canceled on Wednesday evening. Armed police units and dogs were deployed around the religious building to search for potential explosives, but no bomb was found at or near the scene, according to local police on Thursday morning.
Access to streets surrounding the synagogue was restricted due to a "potentially dangerous situation concerning a Jewish institution," as reported by the police. The local police announced on Thursday afternoon that an investigation opened under suspicion of "preparing a dangerous act of violence threatening the state" particularly led to "the identification and arrest of a 16-year-old."
The arrested Syrian, who lived in Hagen, was taken into custody on Thursday morning at a train station in the city, and three of his relatives were arrested at their home, according to local media. According to several media reports, a foreign intelligence agency alerted German authorities about the possibility of an attack. It appears that the young Syrian announced a forthcoming attack on a monitored discussion forum. Reports indicated that the attack was likely to be carried out on Wednesday evening using homemade explosives.
This incident comes about two years after an attack on a synagogue in Halle (east) during Yom Kippur. At that time, the assailant, a right-wing extremist, attempted to enter the synagogue to shoot the worshippers but failed to get inside. Nevertheless, the attacker killed two people in the street and in a snack bar before being arrested and sentenced to life in prison.
### Increasing Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitic crimes have steadily risen in Germany in recent years, with 2,032 offenses recorded in 2019, an increase of 13 percent from the previous year. Felix Klein, the government commissioner for combating anti-Semitism, noted that "the threat is complex and comes from various sources," including jihadist movements and the far-right. Germany has faced both jihadist threats and far-right extremism in recent years, with the latter becoming a prominent danger after several successful terrorist attacks and thwarted attempts.
The number of crimes committed by right-wing extremists in 2020 reached the highest level since the end of World War II. However, the jihadist threat remains high as well, which the far-right Alternative for Germany party attributes to the reception of one million Syrian and Iraqi refugees in 2015 and 2016. Twelve people were killed in a truck attack at a Christmas market in central Berlin at the end of 2016 by a Tunisian extremist. The number of Islamists deemed dangerous in Germany sharply increased between 2015 and 2018, according to security agencies.
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, in a statement commemorating the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, announced a total of 23 attacks had been thwarted in Germany since the beginning of the millennium.
