The detention of a 15-year-old in northern Germany is tied to a probe of online discussions about an alleged plan to set fire to a refugee shelter.
NDR reported, citing authorities, that the teenager was held before trial on charges including preparation of a terrorist act. Investigators accused him of preparing a serious terrorist act and said they feared he could commit similar offenses if released. The Flensburg prosecutor’s office said he was still in custody Monday.
Police detained him after witnesses reported seeing a person with a gasoline canister in town. Investigators linked the date of his detention to a day discussed in online messages about a possible attack at the shelter in Winsen, Lower Saxony.
Young neo-Nazis were reportedly among the chat participants, and the messages referred to Friday night as the time for an attack. The Lueneburg prosecutor’s office said police searched two suspects’ homes as part of an investigation into an alleged arson conspiracy.
