German police arrest Syrian refugees planning Christmas terror attack

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German police arrest Syrian refugees planning Christmas terror attack
November 22, 2017

German police arrest Syrian refugees planning Christmas terror attack
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An arrest made in Germany on Tuesday provided a reminder of how dangerous open borders are for Europe. It also provides an explanation of why Chancellor Angela Merkel, a strong immigration supporter, recently delayed her bid to create a coalition government.

German police arrested six Syrian refugees Tuesday on suspicion of planning a Christmas Market terror attack. The ages of those arrested range from 20 to 28, according to local reports.

Terrorist supporters
Prosecutors said all six Syrians “are suspected of being members of the foreign terrorist organisation that calls itself Islamic State,” according to Reuters-UK, which reported:

Four of the suspects arrived in Germany in December 2014 and two arrived the following year. All six had applied for asylum. The prosecutor’s office did not say if their asylum applications had been approved.
“The accused are also suspected of having planned an attack against a public target in Germany using either weapons or explosives,” the prosecutors told reporters.

One year anniversary
The attack being planned by the six would have come on the approximate one-year anniversary of the December 19 Berlin Christmas Market attack, in which a truck was used to murder 12 people and injure an additional 56.

To discourage similar attacks, concrete blocks have been placed on the perimeter of many public squares within the city in preparation for the season.

Politico reported: “the group planned an attack on a Christmas market in the city of Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia, although this has not been confirmed by prosecutors.”

Second terrorist arrest in a month
This arrest marks the second time within a month that German authorities thwarted a terrorist attack. A 19-yeare-old, also from Syria, was arrested late last month for planning a bomb attack.

“According to the findings so far, Yamen A. made the decision no later than July 2017 to detonate an explosive device in Germany in order to kill and injure as many people as possible,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Merkel’s woes
An attempt to form a coalition with Merkel’s conservatives, the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens, which would allow Merkel to govern for a fourth term as chancellor hit a snag Sunday. In the end, talks among the groups broke down over two issues — climate control and refugee immigration policy.

Early last month, Merkel agreed to a 200,000 refugee limit in her bid to form a coalition government. Perhaps it wasn’t enough.

Lacking a reasonable refugee cap makes it all the more important that police remain vigilant. Although Tuesday’s arrest of six suspects indicates they’re on top of things, one question remains: How long will their luck hold?