Germany arrests Syrian national over plot to kill soldiers

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — German Federal Police patrol next to a concrete barrier in Berlin, Germany, May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

MUNICH (Reuters) - A 27-year-old Syrian national suspected of radical Islamist views has been arrested over a plot to kill German soldiers with machetes in the Bavarian town of Hof, prosecutors said on Friday.

The accused obtained two machetes approximately 40 cm (15.75 inches) long. He planned to attack Bundeswehr soldiers in Hof who were spending their lunch break there, and to kill as many of them as possible, a statement said.

"With the act, the accused wanted to attract attention and create a feeling of uncertainty among the population," it said.

Germany is tightening border controls after recent deadly knife attacks in which the suspects were asylum seekers.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a knife attack in the western city of Solingen that killed three people in August.

Immigration and security concerns have shot up the agenda ahead of elections in the state of Brandenburg, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is polling strongly.



(Reporting by Jörn Poltz; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Friederike Heine)