Syrian man, 21, arrested in Berlin for ‘plotting a chemical attack on Israel on behalf of ISIS’ 

A Syrian man accused of plotting a chemical attack on Israel and recruiting extremist terrorists to ISIS has been arrested in Berlin.

Hooded SEK (Special Deployment Commando) officers armed with assault rifles stormed a restaurant and wrestled the man to the ground, while riot police secured the road with submachine guns.

The 21-year-old was originally wanted for an assault that took place on April 14 in the Wittenau area of Berlin.

The man and accomplices are alleged to have seriously injured a man who owed the suspect 4000 euros, kicking him in the head and holding a knife to his neck, reported Bild.

Police finally tracked him down in a restaurant on the popular Sonnenallee in the district of Neukölln at around 6pm last Thursday. He remains in custody.  

‘The man was wanted by warrant for dangerous assault and coercion,’ a police spokesman said. ‘He is a great danger.’

However according to the German website Bild, the assault is only half the story and the Syrian is also alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in Israel with chemical weapons.  

In addition, he is said to have recruited fighters for an Islamist jihad (‘Holy War’).    

According to BILD information, Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service received evidence some months ago from a foreign partner service regarding the man.

The information was passed on to the Berlin security authorities, who intercepted the suspect’s phones. 

The Syrian is said to have arrived some time ago with a fake passport from Libya. A house search did not produce any clear evidence.   

Martin Steltner, spokesman for the prosecutor, told Bild: ‘We can neither confirm nor deny information on the preliminary investigation.’