A 16-year-old Syrian refugee has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of having ties to the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) and planning a bomb attack, AFP reported Wednesday (September 21st).
The teenager, thought to have been radicalised only recently, was detained in a special forces operation late Tuesday at a shelter for asylum seekers in Cologne, police and local prosecutors said in a statement.
Information gathered from his mobile phone indicates he was in touch with a person abroad who had ties to ISIL and "wanted to recruit the young Syrian", the statement said.
Investigators found a series of online chat messages that contained "concrete instructions for building explosive devices" as well as tips on how to cause maximum damage, said local prosecutor Ulf Willuhn.
Germany's state security authorities believe the youngster posed a "serious threat" and have assigned a 35-strong team of investigators to the case.
