German police detain 3 Iraqis suspected of planning terror attack

Jan. 30 (UPI) -- German police on Wednesday arrested three Iraqi citizens suspected of planning a terror attack, the federal prosecutor's office said.

Two 23-year-old men and a 36-year-old were arrested in the Schleswig-Holstein region along the North Sea coast about 260 miles northeast of Berlin, the prosecutor's office said. Officials accuse the two younger men of planning the attack and the older individual of helping in the plot.

The Deutsche Welle news outlet cited Interior Minister Horst Seehofer in reporting the suspects are refugees and carried out explosive tests.

The 23-year-olds, identified as Shahin F. and Hersh F., are believed to have been planning an "Islamic motivated attack" at least since early December, the prosecutor's office said.

In December, Shahin F. placed an online order for an ignition device from a contact in Great Britain and researched instructions for building an explosive device. British police thwarted the delivery, the prosecutor's office said.

By the end of December, the suspects obtained powder from fireworks that are commonly used in Germany to celebrate the New Year, the prosecutor's office added.

The 36-year-old, identified as Rauf S., became involved by initiating efforts to obtain a gun, officials said. They said Rauf S. initially offered a Makarov 9mm but it was too expensive for Shahin F. and Hersh F.

The pair also contemplated using a motor vehicle and Shahin F. began driving lessons at the start of this year, authorities said.

No target was selected, the prosecutor's office said. Investigators hope to determine whether the suspects were connected to any terrorist group.