German police arrest two in Berlin suspected of planning attack

Two people arrested in Berlin on Thursday had links to Islamic State, which may have been planning an attack in the western city of Dortmund, a German newspaper said on Friday, citing security sources.

Reports suggested that the police were acting on a tip about a possible attack in the northwestern city of Dortmund.

An Islamic cultural center in the district of Charlottenburg was also searched, but nothing worrying was found, Deutsche Welle informs.

Police cordoned the area around the auto and evacuated several houses around it “as a precaution”.

In a press release, the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD) said the mosque search was a disproportionate response by police and welcomed the apology issued by the Berlin police as a result of their complaint.

Story by Kevin Conlon and Stefan Simons, CNN BERLIN (CNN) – A German special forces unit arrested two men in a Berlin raid Thursday who are accused of plotting “a significant criminal act against state security”, Berlin authorities told CNN.

Local media reported officers had acted on a tip-off that an attack was being planned, as European police forces are on high alert following the bloody jihadist attacks in Paris on November 13.

Meanwhile, the DPA news agency reported that a third suspect detained early on Friday has been released.