Teenagers arrested in Germany over suspected Islamist extremist attack plot

Shafaq News/ Three teenagers suspected of planning an extremist attack have been arrested in western Germany, prosecutors announced Friday.

The trio, consisting of two girls aged 15 and 16, and a 15-year-old boy, hails from different parts of North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany's most populous region.

Their arrests followed the issuance of warrants over the Easter weekend by a court in Duesseldorf, according to prosecutors.

The suspects are believed to have expressed readiness to carry out an "Islamist-motivated terror attack" and were allegedly in the planning stages of such an act, as stated by prosecutors in a released statement.

Currently in detention, the trio faces potential charges related to declaring their willingness to commit murder and manslaughter, as well as preparing a serious act of violence.

Reports from the German news agency dpa, citing anonymous security sources, revealed that the teenagers had established a chat group but had not yet formulated a specific attack plan with designated time and location.

Meanwhile, a fourth suspect has been reportedly identified in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with an arrest warrant issued by a local court.

Germany has experienced Islamist extremist attacks in recent years; notably the deadliest being a truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016, resulting in the deaths of 12 individuals.