The Berlin General Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges with the Berlin District Court I—State Security Chamber—against a 23-year-old Syrian national. He is accused of preparing a serious act of violent subversion (terrorism) in conjunction with terrorism financing in one case, as well as distributing propaganda for terrorist organizations in four cases.
By March 2025 at the latest, the accused allegedly formed the intent, based on radical Islamist ideology, to carry out a terrorist attack in Berlin. His intended victims were primarily Jews living in Berlin and those he deemed “infidels.” In connection with this plan, he reportedly used internet platforms such as Telegram and TikTok to research views on martyrdom and so-called Jihad. After allegedly researching the construction of explosive and incendiary devices, he is said to have exchanged messages regarding the planned attack with an unidentified interlocutor.
Subsequently, for the purpose of carrying out the attack, the accused allegedly purchased a knife as well as various items online that were presumably suitable for building an explosive and incendiary device. He is reported to have already begun experimental testing with these materials. His plan was allegedly to fatally attack as many Jewish individuals and non-Muslims as possible with the knife, before ultimately carrying out a suicide attack using an explosive belt.
Furthermore, the accused is charged with publishing videos on social media in March and October 2025 that were accompanied by so-called Nasheeds of the Islamic State. These are chanted songs or hymns; in a jihadist context, they serve as battle songs used for emotionalization and political mobilization, and are frequently released by the official media outlets of the so-called Islamic State or other foreign terrorist organizations.
During searches conducted on November 1, 2025, various pieces of evidence were seized from the accused.
The accused, originally from Syria, is said to have first entered Germany in December 2023. He was granted subsidiary protection in September 2024, which was subsequently revoked in January 2026 by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
The accused, who has no prior criminal record, has been in pre-trial detention since his arrest on November 1, 2025.
