German authorities arrest teenager planning truck attack on Christmas market

berlin - German authorities have arrested a 17-year-old German-Turkish teenager who was reportedly planning to drive a truck into a Christmas market. The arrest apparently prevented a terrorist attack in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, German media reported.

According to the newspaper Bild, investigators suspect a radical Islamic background in the case. The tip about the suspect's plans reportedly came from an American intelligence agency.

Almost eight years ago, on December 19, 2016, a terrorist attack with a truck occurred at a Christmas market near the Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, resulting in the deaths of thirteen people. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State. Two years later, on December 11, 2018, a radical Muslim carried out an attack at a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg, resulting in five deaths.