German authorities arrest a 15-year-old on suspicion of planning an attack

BERLIN (AP) — A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning and preparing a terror attack, authorities said Wednesday.

Prosecutors in Duesseldorf said the teenager was detained Tuesday during a search at his home. A court in nearby Leverkusen ordered him kept in custody Wednesday pending a possible indictment, they said in a statement. The prosecutors said they could not give additional details for now.

German news agency dpa, which cited unidentified security sources, reported that the 15-year-old and a 16-year-old in the eastern German state of Brandenburg were arrested after allegedly discussing carrying out an attack on “infidels.”

The younger suspect allegedly named a synagogue and a Christmas market as possible targets, dpa said. It wasn’t immediately clear how serious the alleged plans were.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency said earlier Wednesday that the threat situation in the country has escalated following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.

The agency pointed to the risk of a radicalization of lone assailants who use simple means to attack “soft targets,” adding that “the danger is real and higher than it has been for a long time.”