German investigators on Tuesday searched three flats in the western city of Offenbach and arrested three men amid suspicions that they were preparing to carry out a deadly attack.
The suspects are a 24-year-old German national of Macedonian origin and two Turkish nationals aged 22 and 21, the prosecutor’s office in nearby Frankfurt and the Hesse state police said.
According to the authorities the men described themselves as supporters of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Investigators believe that the suspects made preparations to carry out a religiously motivated criminal offence in the Frankfurt metropolitan area using explosives or firearms, with the aim of killing as many people as possible.
Authorities said numerous pieces of evidence were found during the searches.
The 24-year-old main suspect is believed to have already obtained components for the manufacturing of explosives and to have searched for firearms on the internet.
