Berlin authorities said they arrested six people Sunday over an alleged plot to carry out a "violent crime" at the German capital's half marathon which attracted 36,000 runners and big crowds of onlookers. Prosecutors and police said in a statement they had received "isolated indications that those arrested (Sunday) between the ages of 18 and 21 may have been involved in planning a violent crime in connection with this event".
The security authorities said that on that basis and after a deadly van rampage on Saturday in the western German city of Muenster, they decided to swoop on the suspects. "Due to the still ongoing investigation, no further information can be provided at this time," they added.
The statement spoke only of "several" arrests but a tweet by the police mentioned six arrests carried out by special forces.
Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller thanked security forces for preventing an "impending attack with their vigilance and police work". A police spokesman told AFP later that they had confiscated "data storage devices, mobile phones, two vehicles and a small knife" during the raids.
He confirmed that the suspects arrested "might have planned something during the half marathon" but "we don't know what exactly". The half marathon went off early Sunday without incident amid warm spring sunshine. Berlin's top security official, Andreas Geisel, had said that the city of 3.5 million people would need to review its precautions for the half marathon following the Muenster attack in which two people were killed. Some 630 police officers were deployed to guard the race.
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