2016 Chemnitz terrorism plot
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The 2016 Chemnitz terrorism plot was a suspected terrorist bombing plot which became known to the public on 8 October 2016 in
Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East Be ...
,
Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It was reportedly planned by the 22-year-old
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
n man Jaber al-Bakr.


Events

A part of the Kappel district, a housing development in Chemnitz, where Khalil A., a possible accomplice of al-Bakr, had rented a flat, was put on lockdown as the police tried to arrest al-Bakr, but failed to do so, reportedly when he hastily left the apartment block on foot.Jaber A. entkam dem Observationsteam der Polizei
Die Zeit, 9 October 2016, in German
During the searches of al-Bakr's friend's flat, the police found "highly-volatile explosives", which were said to be more dangerous than
TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...
.Polizei warnt Bevölkerung vor flüchtigem Terrorverdächtigen
Faz.net, 8 October 2016, in German
Al-Bakr, who was described by the police as possibly "dangerous" and probably acting under Islamistic motivation,Polizei warnt vor verdächtigem Syrer
N-tv.de, 8 October 2016, in German
was on the loose until he was caught in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
on early morning of 10 October. Three further suspects were initially detained. Chemnitz main station was partially on lockdown for four hours as well, as a red suitcase which belonged to two of the detained suspects was under investigation. After the suitcase was found to contain no explosives, the station was re-opened during the night. Al-Bakr allegedly planned an attack on a German airport. Therefore, also
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
police was on high alert, more forces were deployed to the airports Berlin Tegel and Berlin Schönefeld. The police spoke of "preventive measures", but also stated it was on "maximum" alert anyway since terrorist attacks in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Security was also tightened at other airports and stations in Germany. The manhunt was under way nationwide the next day, with police stating there was "no new state of the investigation", but it had received more than 80 useful hints. Meanwhile, the local police forces had to deal with several upset reactions by citizens. Subsequently, they published a warning to the public via their Twitter account saying that 'small-minded people spreading anger and pointless news are acting disrespectful considering the situation in Chemnitz'.Public announcement by local police
Polizei Sachsen, 8 October 2016, in German
Ticker geplanter Terroranschlag
Freie Presse Chemnitz, 9 October 2016, in German
According to terror expert Elmar Theveßen of German public
ZDF ZDF (), short for (; ), is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany ( ...
broadcaster, the found explosive was
TATP Acetone peroxide ( also called APEX and mother of Satan) is an organic peroxide and a primary explosive. It is produced by the reaction of acetone and hydrogen peroxide to yield a mixture of linear monomer and cyclic dimer, trimer, and tetram ...
, which were also used in the
November 2015 Paris attacks A series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 21:16, three suicide bombers struck outside the Stade de France in Saint-De ...
and the 2016 Brussels bombings.


Suspects

The 22-year old Jaber al-Bakr, also spelled Albakr, born 10 January 1994 in Sa'sa' near
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
, Syria, arrived as a refugee in Germany in 2015 according to French AFP agency whilst local newspapers report that he wasn't with the
Landeskriminalamt The State Criminal Police Office, or Landeskriminalamt ((LKA) ) in German, is an independent law enforcement agency in all 16 German states that is directly subordinate to the state's ministry of the interior. Missions Investigations LKAs sup ...
contradicting the latter. His arrest was ordered after the
Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution ( or BfV, often ''Bundesverfassungsschutz'') is Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency. Together with the Landesämter für Verfassungsschutz (LfV) at the state level, the fed ...
gathered information about him during a long-time observation. Three other suspects with links to al-Bakr were detained, two of them at Chemnitz main station and one in the flat where al-Bakr lived. Two of them were freed the next morning. One, who was later identified as Khalil A., remained in custody as a possible accomplice.Fahndung nach jungem Syrer – Was wir wissen, was wir nicht wissen
Die Welt, 9 October 2016, in German
al-Bakr was later found dead after committing suicide in his prison cell in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, Germany. On 9 October 2016 another suspect was arrested in the so-called Yorck area of Chemnitz. He was alleged to have been in contact with al-Bakr. Al-Bakr was arrested in Paunsdorf, Leipzig on early 10 October. He had asked another Syrian man for a bed for the night at
Leipzig main station Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (Leipzig main station, ) is the central Train station, railway terminus in Leipzig, Germany, in the district Leipzig-Mitte, Mitte. At , it is Europe's largest railway station measured by floor area. It has 19 overground platf ...
, who didn't know initially who Al-Bakr was and took him to his flat. But Al-Bakr was recognized by the housemates of his host, who tied him up and went to the police. Landeskriminalamt Sachsen (State criminal office Saxony) confirmed that Al-Bakr had links to the IS. While in custody, Al-Bakr reportedly went into hunger strike and, according to his lawyer broke several lamps and manipulated electrical outlets. Because of the fear he might commit suicide he was under constant surveillance, which means that the guards looked after him in certain intervals of 15 min and later 30 min. Nonetheless, he was found hanging in his prison cell on 12 October.
Terrorverdächtiger Syrer Al-Bakr begeht Selbstmord in der Haft
', Deutsche Welle, 12 October 2016. (German)


See also

* Immigration and crime in Germany * 2016 Düsseldorf terrorism plot * 2016 Ludwigshafen bombing plot


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chemnitz terrorism plot, 2016 2016 crimes in Germany 2010s in Saxony Terrorism plot, 2016 Failed terrorist attempts in Germany October 2016 crimes in Europe October 2016 in Germany Terrorist incidents in Germany in 2016 Crime in Saxony