German authorities said Monday (January 2nd) that police had arrested a Syrian man who had allegedly asked the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) to fund an attack using explosives-packed vehicles, AFP reported.
The unemployed 38-year-old with refugee status had urged an ISIL contact via a mobile phone message service to send him 180,000 euros ($188,000), said prosecutors.
Police commandos raided his apartment in Saarbruecken near the French border on Saturday. He was detained before being formally arrested on terror financing charges Sunday.
The man's "as yet undefined attack scenario" suggested the use of explosives-packed vehicles in Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands, said police.
Prosecutors added that the man had "admitted contact with ISIL but denied terrorist motives" -- suggesting that he claimed to have attempted to defraud the extremist group.
