Germany arrests a man accused of standing by to carry out attacks for IS

BERLIN -- An Iraqi man who is accused of standing by to carry out attacks for the Islamic State group after he arrived in Germany in 2022 has been arrested, prosecutors said Thursday.

The suspect, identified only as Mahmoud A. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested on Wednesday in Esslingen, near Stuttgart in southwestern Germany, federal prosecutors said in a statement. A judge ordered him to be kept in custody on suspicion of membership in a foreign terrorist organization pending a possible indictment.

He is accused of joining IS in Iraq in or before May 2016 and fighting for the extremist group.

Prosecutors said that Mahmoud A. arrived in Germany in October 2022 and stood by to carry out attacks on behalf of IS. They didn't specify whether any specific attacks were ever planned.