German Authorities Arrest Libyan Man Suspected of Planning ISIS Attack on Israeli Embassy

A suspected supporter of the ISIS terrorist group was arrested before he could carry out an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin, Germany authorities said.
The suspect, identified only as “Omar A.,” is a Libyan national accused of supporting ISIS’s ideology, the office of the Federal Prosecutor General, Germany’s equivalent of the Attorney General, said in a statement. He was detained on Oct. 19 in Bernau, a suburb of Berlin.
To plan a “high-profile attack with firearms,” Omar A. had allegedly been exchanging information with an ISIS terrorist via messenger chat, according to the statement.
Israel’s ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor condemned the alleged plot, warning that anti-Semitic rhetoric among some Muslim communities “leads to and encourages terrorist activities worldwide.”
German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann echoed these concerns, saying there is a “very serious threat” of Islamist extremism in his country.
Part of the security package was approved by the lower chamber of the German parliament, the Bundestag, on Friday.
The package of laws seeks to implement fast-track deportations for foreigners convicted of serious crimes. It would also make it a deportable offense to publicly express approval of terrorism, including posting or “liking” pro-terrorist content on social media.
The package proposes stricter measures for asylum seekers, such as reducing social benefits for those who had previously been registered in another EU country. Refugees returning to their home country, except in cases like attending a parent’s funeral, could also lose their protection.
There are also measures that would toughen Germany’s already strict weapon laws. For example, a provision would ban knives at festivals, sports events, and other public events, with exceptions in the catering sector.
Scholz proposed the changes in the wake of two separate knife attacks by suspected Islamist extremists that claimed four lives.