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FRANKFURT: German authorities said Sunday they had arrested a 22-year-old Syrian man in Berlin suspected of preparing a “jihadist” attack, without giving details of the alleged plot.
The suspect, arrested on Saturday in the capital’s southern Neukoelln district, appeared before an investigating judge on Sunday and was ordered remanded in custody.
He is suspected of “preparing an act of serious violence against the state” as well as “spreading propaganda material of anti-constitutional and terrorist organizations,” said a joint statement from Berlin police and prosecutors.
He was alleged to have plotted “a jihadist-motivated attack,” a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office in Berlin told AFP earlier.
The newspaper Bild reported that a search by special police units of three Berlin residential addresses linked to the suspect had turned up items that could be used to build explosives.
The daily said the alleged plot was thought to be an attack in Berlin, but that no other details had yet emerged.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a statement that the arrest of the Syrian showed that “the terrorist threat in Germany, though often abstract, remains heightened.”
He said the Syrian had been in Germany since 2023 and that his activities “suggesting preparations for an attack, were detected in time.”
Germany in recent months has seen several knife attacks, as well as attacks with jihadist and far-right motives that have thrown a focus on security measures.
Berlin remains under vigilant watch, especially since a murderous 2016 jihadist attack at a Christmas market, when a truck mowed down a crowd, killing 12 people.

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky: People across the country formed long lines for free meals and groceries at food pantries and drive-through giveaways Saturday, after monthly benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, were suddenly cut off because of the ongoing government shutdown.
In the New York borough of the Bronx, about 200 more people than usual showed up at the World of Life Christian Fellowship International pantry, many bundled in winter hats and coats and pushing collapsible shopping carts as they waited in a line that spanned multiple city blocks. Some arrived as early as 4 a.m. to choose from pallets of fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, juice, dry goods and prepared sandwiches.
Mary Martin, who volunteers at the pantry, also relies on it regularly for food to supplement her SNAP payments. She said she usually splits her roughly $200 a month in SNAP benefits between herself and her two adult sons, one of whom has six children and is especially dependent on the assistance.
“If I didn’t have the pantry to come to, I don’t know how we would make it,” Martin said.
“I’m not gonna see my grandkids suffer.”
The Department of Agriculture planned to withhold payments to the food program starting Saturday until two federal judges ordered the administration to make them. However it was unclear as to when the debit cards that beneficiaries use could be reloaded after the ruling, sparking fear and confusion among many recipients.
In an apparent response to President Donald Trump, who said he would provide the money but wanted more legal direction from the court, US District Judge John J. McConnell in Rhode Island ordered the government to report back by Monday on how it would fund SNAP accounts.
McConnell, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, said the Trump administration must either make a full payment by that day or, if it decides to tap $3 billion in a contingency fund, figure out how to do that by Wednesday.
The delay in SNAP payments, a major piece of the nation’s social safety net that serves about 42 million people, has highlighted the financial vulnerabilities that many face. At the Bronx food pantry, the Rev. John Udo-Okon said “people from all walks of life” are seeking help now.
“The pantry is no longer for the poor, for the elderly, for the needy. The pantry now is for the whole community, everybody,” Udo-Okon said. “You see people will drive in their car and come and park and wait to see if they can get food.”
In Austell, Georgia, people in hundreds of cars in drive-through lanes picked up nonperishable and perishable bags of food. Must Ministries said it handed out food to about 1,000 people, more than a typical bimonthly food delivery.
Families in line said they worried about not getting SNAP benefits in time for Thanksgiving.
At a drive-through food giveaway at the Calvary Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, SNAP recipient James Jackson, 74, said he is frustrated that people are being hurt by decisions made in Washington and lawmakers should try harder to understand challenges brought by poverty and food insecurity.
“If you’ve never been poor, you don’t know what it is to be poor,” Jackson said. “I hope that it turns around. I hope that people get their SNAP benefits, and I hope we just come together where we can love each other and feed each other and help each other.”
While there is typically a long line for Calvary Baptist Church’s drive-through events, the Rev. Samuel L. Whitlow said, the walk-in food pantry has seen increased demand recently with roughly 60 additional people showing up this week.
And in Norwich, Connecticut, the St. Vincent De Paul soup kitchen and food pantry had 10 extra volunteers working Saturday to help a wave of expected newcomers, making sure they felt comfortable and understood the services available. Besides groceries and hot meals, the site was providing pet food, toiletries and blood pressure checks.
“They’re embarrassed. They have shame. So you have to deal with that as well,” director Jill Corbin said. “But we do our best to just try to welcome people.”
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Haigh reported from Norwich, Connecticut. Associated Press photographer Mike Stewart in Austell, Georgia, contributed.