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German police foil bomb attack in ‘major Swiss city’

POLIZEI Baden-Württemberg
On June 20, German special forces arrested two Swiss men, aged 24 and 26, who are accused of trying to buy explosives in Stuttgart, Germany. Keystone / Philipp Von Ditfurth

German authorities say they have prevented a bomb attack in Switzerland after arresting two Swiss men suspected of recently trying to buy explosives in Stuttgart in southern Germany.

On June 20, German special forces arrested two Swiss men, aged 24 and 26, who are accused of trying to buy explosives in Stuttgart, Germany, the public prosecutor’s office and the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office saidExternal link on Thursday.

The two men are suspected of wanting to use the explosives “in a planned crime in a major Swiss city”. However, there is no sign of any “politically motivated background” to the plan, according to the German police. No further details about their plan or intentions have been given.

Both men have been under investigation since the beginning of June. The German authorities started an investigation on the Darknet after receiving a tip-off. There they encountered an individual who wanted to buy explosives.

The two men remain in custody. Further investigations are being carried out by the German and Swiss security authorities.

The Federal Office of Police (FEDPOL) and the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland said they were aware of the arrests. FEDPOL is working closely with the relevant authorities, it told the Keystone-SDA news agency. However, Swiss prosecutors have not opened any criminal proceedings.

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