Extremism: Attack on synagogue visitors planned? 18-year-old in custody

An 18-year-old from Weinheim in Baden-Württemberg has been arrested for allegedly planning a deadly attack on visitors to a synagogue. He is said to have exchanged information online with another young man, who is also already in custody, about a knife attack on visitors to a synagogue in Heidelberg, according to the Stuttgart and Karlsruhe public prosecutors’ offices and the State Criminal Police Office.

“The intended goal was to kill one or more visitors during the attack on the synagogue, followed by a martyr’s death, in which both people wanted to be shot by the police,” the authorities said. The 18-year-old is a German-Turk. The other man, 24, is a German citizen, according to the police.

Threat during apartment search

The plans were uncovered through a house search. On May 3, the police searched the 24-year-old’s apartment in Bad Friedrichshall in the Heilbronn district – on suspicion of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state. During the search, the 24-year-old suddenly grabbed several kitchen knives and fled out of a window. The officers caught him there. But the man did not put the knives down, but deliberately threw a knife at an officer and ran towards him, it was reported. The police officer shot the 24-year-old and injured him. The man, who is in custody, is now also accused of attempted manslaughter and a particularly serious case of physical assault on emergency services.

The 24-year-old is believed to have traveled abroad to prepare a terrorist attack. The case is based on “a matter relating to the accused’s possible departure from Germany,” the public prosecutor’s office said. The authorities did not want to disclose any further details. It was initially unclear whether the terrorist act was an attack on the synagogue.

When evaluating the evidence, the investigators reportedly came across a chat history with the 18-year-old man from Weinheim. The two men are said to have exchanged information about a possible knife attack on the synagogue in April 2024. Officers from the State Criminal Police Office and special forces then searched the 18-year-old’s apartment on May 18 and arrested the young man unharmed.

“Murderous act against Jewish life could be prevented”

According to the Karlsruhe public prosecutor’s office, there were no indications of an imminent danger to visitors to the synagogue. They intervened early enough, said a spokesman. The 18-year-old is now suspected of conspiracy to commit murder.

“An attack on Jewish life in Germany is always an attack on our values ​​and therefore an attack on all of us,” said Baden-Württemberg’s Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) commenting on the case. The police and the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution have the protection of Jewish life firmly in their sights. “The decisive factor is that the murderous act against Jewish life was prevented. This enabled us to intervene early and prevent a possible act.”

Human chain planned in front of the synagogue

The Jewish community in Heidelberg reacted with shock and disbelief to the news of the arrests. They were worried about their community members, said Rabbi Jona Pawelczyk-Kissin and board member Halyna Dohayman on Friday. They feared “that they will now lock themselves in and no longer come to our services. We are trying to take away their fear.” A human chain is planned in front of the synagogue at 7 p.m. that evening.

The Central Council of Jews in Germany welcomed the police’s deployment. Since the attack on the synagogue in Halle in October 2019, the federal and state governments have reconsidered and noticeably improved the system of security precautions at synagogues and other Jewish institutions, said a spokesman for the Central Council. “We have confidence in the security authorities and the case in Heidelberg unfortunately shows us once again how necessary such protection is.”

The state’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Michael Blume, also expressed relief. “In view of the numerous threats on the Internet, we all knew about the danger,” he told the German Press Agency. The close cooperation between the police and the Jewish communities is paying off in increased security for all citizens.

The synagogue in Heidelberg was inaugurated in 1994. According to the Jewish Community of Heidelberg, the community has 420 members. When asked, an employee confirmed that the public prosecutor’s office had informed the community about the incident, but did not want to comment on the substance of the matter.