The 2016 Düsseldorf terrorism plot was a reported plot by the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

(ISIL) to carry out a series of bombings and shootings in multiple sections of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

city of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

similar to those carried out in Paris in November 2015. The plot was foiled after one of the conspirators, Saleh A., 25, turned himself in to

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

authorities in February 2016. He told authorities he was aware of Islamic State's "sleeper cell" in Germany preparing to assassinate Germany. Saleh A. was questioned several times by anti-terror experts and subsequently charged with cooperating with terrorist organization and detained. This resulted in arrests of three of the members of the conspiracy on 2 June, following several months of further investigation.

Plot

The plot involved up to 10 conspirators travelling from

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

to engage in a series of suicide bombings and mass shootings in central Düsseldorf. Explosives were planned to be detonated on the main road near the

Stadtbahn ' (; German for "city railway"; plural ') is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport. One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna, where rail routes were created that co ...

station, while their armed counterparts would have carried out further killings with weapons and more explosives. The plot was to involve attacks on the Heinrich-Heine-Allee street, as well as other attacks in the

Altstadt ''Altstadt'' is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ''Alt ...

district of the city.

Suspects

Three of the suspects were registered as refugees and lived in migrants residences throughout Germany, which fueled the debate over Germany's policy during the

European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to reques ...

. The man arrested in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Saleh A., and the suspect arrested in

Wriezen Wriezen () is a town in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 11 km southeast of Bad Freienwalde. Demography File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Wriezen.pdf, Development of Population since 1875 within the Curr ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

, Hamza C., travelled to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

together in May 2014, then traveled separately to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

and north through Europe 2014 and entered Germany via the

Balkan route The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to reques ...

in 2015. An explosives expert, Abd Arahman A.K., who had received training in explosives while in Syria, was arrested in Leimen,

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, travelled to Germany in October 2014 via the Balkans. The fourth suspect, Mahood B., resided in Mühlheim, Germany before he was convinced by Saleh A. and Hamza C. to participate in the plot.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dusseldorf terrorism plot 2016 crimes in Germany 2010s in Düsseldorf Failed terrorist attempts in Germany ISIL terrorist incidents in Germany Islamic terrorism in Germany Islamic terrorist incidents in 2016 June 2016 crimes in Europe June 2016 events in Germany Terrorist incidents in Germany in 2016 Factions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Plot

Suspects

See also

References