The German security forces have managed to stop what looks like a major Islamic terror attack involving firearms and grenades. Undercover police have arrested a Moroccan-German suspect who purchased a firearm and a grenade from someone who the suspect thought was a fellow jihadist or criminal underworld member.

The suspect was arrested in August but the details have only recently been made public. The suspect is possibly linked to a flat in Hamburg that was raided by police and where explosive device components were found. Interestingly the suspect’s father was involved in an extremist mosque that was shut down by the authorities.

Here’s an electronic translation of the article from the German publication Bild.

The Hamburg police apparently thwarted an Islamist terrorist attack. As Interior Senator Andy Grote announced on Friday, a German-Moroccan (20) was arrested in Hamburg on August 26 and has been in custody since then. Grote explained: “We are dealing with a very, very serious process here that we have never had before in Hamburg.” The suspect has a Salafist-Islamist background, said Grote. The 20-year-old tried to buy a handgun and a hand grenade. However, the alleged seller was a member of a security agency.

Investigators searched an apartment in Hamburg three weeks ago and found all the components for an explosive device. Further house searches followed. Claus Cortnumme, Head of State Security at LKA Hamburg: “The accused’s father was involved in the radical Islamist scene in Hamburg in the 2000s. At the time, he was also jointly responsible for the Al-Quds mosque on Steindamm in Hamburg, which had been closed by the security authorities many years ago – and at the time the meeting place for the radical Islamist scene in Hamburg, including the Hamburg 9/11 attackers was.

Sounds like the Germans or rather the people of Hamburg have had a lucky escape. It certainly looks like these jihadists were planning something big and those involved have a long history of involvement in Islamic extremism.

Whilst this operation needs to be praised we should also not forget that there may be many more jihadists like this in Germany who may not yet have come to the attention of the authorities. If Britain can have 39,000 potentially dangerous Islamists needing to be monitored then you can bet your bottom dollar that Germany has a similar problem.