German far right arrests reveal ‘shocking’ mosque attack plot

Members of a German extreme right group arrested last week were believed to have been plotting “shocking” large-scale attacks on mosques similar to the ones carried out in New Zealand last year, the government said Monday.

Officials said that investigations into 12 men detained in police raids across Germany Friday had indicated they planned major attacks, following media reports over the weekend the group aimed to launch several simultaneous mass-casualty assaults on Muslims during prayers.

“It’s shocking what has been revealed here, that there are cells here that appear to have become radicalised in such a short space of time,” interior ministry spokesman Bjoern Gruenewaelder told reporters at a Berlin press conference.