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Europe
German police raid second flat in search of Chemnitz bomb suspect
2016-10-10
[DW] German police on Sunday stormed another apartment in the eastern city of Chemnitz, detaining a man allegedly connected to a Syrian refugee suspected of planning a kaboom.

"Nobody was injured, and no shots were fired. We've taken the man into custody and we are questioning him now," said Tom Berhardt, front man for the criminal investigation office in Saxony.

Police on Saturday raided the apartment of 22-year-old Syrian refugee Jaber al-Bakr, discovering "several hundred grams" of "explosive substance more dangerous than TNT" at his residence.

Despite several leads on the suspect's whereabouts, authorities have yet to capture the Syrian man, who allegedly escaped during the raid.

"We are following numerous tips, but unfortunately we don't have a hot lead yet," Berhardt said. "We must continue to assume that this person poses a danger."

'Islamist-oriented'
The federal prosecutor's office on Sunday took over the investigation, saying the "overall picture" suggests an "Islamist-motivated attack," according to a spokeswoman.

Although explosives had been discovered at the refugee's residence, Bernhardt said it did not necessarily mean the suspect was involved with the "Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
" Death Eater group, which grabbed credit for two attacks in Germany this year.

"This doesn't automatically mean we are talking about IS. This could also be a case of self-radicalization via the Internet," he added.

Three Syrian men incarcerated
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
 on Saturday are expected to appear in court later on Sunday.

Europe has witnessed an increase in Lion of Islam attacks following an assault on the offices of satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo
...A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
" in Gay Paree in January last year. Since then, more than 250 people have been killed in terrorist attacks across the continent, including in Nice, Brussels and Gay Paree.

Posted by:Fred

#6  "two of the Syrians bound and held Albakr at their apartment while the other brought a mobile phone photo of Albakr to a local police station, leading to the suspect’s arrest"

Good for those guys! I think they really want to stay in the West and (hopefully) adapt.
Posted by: Barbara   2016-10-10 13:04  

#5  The latest:

From The Times of Israel:

The suspect approached his fellow countrymen at the Leipzig main train station and asked them if they could accommodate him, and they agreed.

Saxony criminal police chief Joerg Michaelis said that the three Syrians recognized Albakr from police wanted posters that had been distributed online and over social media.

He said two of the Syrians bound and held Albakr at their apartment while the other brought a mobile phone photo of Albakr to a local police station, leading to the suspect’s arrest.

And from Al Ahram, the description of several hundred grams of explosive was accurate, but woefully incomplete:

Federal prosecutors said in a release Monday that police found some 1.5 kilograms of an "extremely dangerous explosive" and other material in the apartment where 22-year-old Jaber Albakr had been staying in Chemnitz.
Posted by: trailing wife   2016-10-10 11:57  

#4  Bernhardt also confirmed reports that Albakr had come to Germany in the flood of 890,000 migrants who entered the country in 2015 and had been granted asylum.

As if further evidence is needed, another confirmation of the 'Trojan Horse' theory.
Posted by: Besoeker   2016-10-10 05:25  

#3  And from The Times of Israel:

He was finally caught after police learnt that he had sought help from two Syrians in Leipzig, Spiegel Online reported.

Police subsequently arrested him in the early hours of Monday in the two Syrians’ apartment.

Albakr was believed to have had internet contact with the Islamic State group, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported, but police have not commented on his possible motivation or the bomb plot’s target.

On Saturday morning, as police prepared to raid the apartment building in the eastern city of Chemnitz where Albakr was staying, he was observed leaving the premises, Saxony police spokesman Tom Bernhardt told The Associated Press Sunday.

Police fired a warning shot but were unable to stop him, Bernhardt said, confirming German media reports. They thought he had turned back into the building but wasn’t the case, he said.

Bernhardt also confirmed reports that Albakr had come to Germany in the flood of 890,000 migrants who entered the country in 2015 and had been granted asylum.

Nobody was in the apartment when police SWAT teams blew down the door Saturday, but investigators found “several hundred grams” of a volatile explosive hidden in the flat, enough to cause significant damage, Bernhardt said.

“With this highly volatile explosive, even a few hundred grams is no trifle,” he said. “For an explosive of this type, it was a considerable amount.”

He said experts were still trying to determine whether it was the same explosive used in the deadly November 13 attacks in Paris and the March 22 attacks in Brussels known as TATP, or triacetone triperoxide.

Three people who rented the apartment were apprehended Saturday, and one of the men was was questioned as a possible co-conspirator, Bernhardt said.

He said the man in custody was Albakr’s “countryman,” but wouldn’t give other details.

The other two men were released.

Another man who knew Albakr was taken into custody for questioning Sunday afternoon in a raid on his Chemnitz apartment.

It looks like housing has been freed up for other colonists...
Posted by: trailing wife   2016-10-10 05:18  

#2  Thank you for the update, European Conservative. I just checked Deutsche Welle, which now reports:

German police in Saxony said early Monday that they had arrested 22-year-old Jaber A. in the eastern German city of Leipzig following a tip off from the Syrian community. Syrians who had been holding the suspect at an apartment in Leipzig contacted police who "immediately went there and arrested him," Saxony police spokesman Tom Bernhardt said. He added that police aren't giving further details "because we do not want to provoke any dangers for those persons who gave us the tip."

Police have only said that the man was originally from the Damascus area of Syria and had been granted refugee status after arriving in Germany last year.

Questions remain, however, as to how Jaber A. was able to evade police, as he was at home when they raided his Chemnitz apartment at about 7 a.m. local time (0500 UTC) on Saturday. Officers reportedly spotted him and even fired at least one warning shot, but he was still able to slip away.
During the search, German police boosted security around the country, particularly around "critical infrastructure" like train stations and airports.
Posted by: trailing wife   2016-10-10 04:30  

#1  Jaber al-Bakr has been arrested a few hours ago in Leipzig.
Posted by: European Conservative   2016-10-10 01:52  

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