Two Men Arrested in Berlin for Alleged Terror Plot Released for Lack of Evidence
Police evacuated nearby buildings while looking for explosives.
— -- The two men arrested in Berlin for allegedly plotting an attack on the German capital were released Friday after investigators didn't find evidence to keep them in custody, police said.
The men, 28 and 46, were arrested Thursday in Southeast Berlin after police were informed of a potential threat, described as "preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state."
Police did not say who gave them the tip.
Based on the information, police raided an Islamic cultural club and searched the car of one of the suspects for explosives in two different areas of the German capital. The men were in the car when they were arrested.
Police cordoned the area around the car and evacuated several houses around it "as a precaution."
After the search, Berlin police tweeted there were "no dangerous items" at the cultural club or in the car were the men were arrested.
This is not the first raid German police conduct to trump potential terror threats. In September, Berlin police raided eight buildings following an investigation into Islamist extremists. Police said at the time that there was no evidence that suspects had been involved in planning attacks in Germany.
The men were released in Berlin just as another man was arrested in southern Germany on suspicion of supplying the weapons used in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that left 130 people dead.