A 27-year-old man is accused of planning an attack on soldiers in a northeastern Bavarian town. Authorities said the man intended to use two machetes to kill as many German soldiers as possible during their lunch break.

German authorities have detained a 27-year-old Syrian man suspected of planning a machete attack on soldiers in Bavaria, according to prosecutors in Munich on Friday. The man allegedly aimed to attack soldiers in the northeastern Bavarian town of Hof, where police arrested him on Thursday.

An investigating judge issued an arrest warrant for the suspect on Friday morning, and he was detained shortly afterward. It is believed that the man intended to kill as many Bundeswehr soldiers as possible during their lunch break in the town center, using two machetes, each approximately 40 cm (15.75 inches) long, which he had already purchased. The public prosecutor's office in Munich said that the suspect is thought to be a follower of radical Islamic ideology.

According to the prosecutors' statement, "With the act, the accused wanted to attract attention and create a feeling of uncertainty among the population."

Germany is increasing border controls after recent deadly knife attacks, with asylum seekers as the suspects. Last month, the "Islamic State" (IS) claimed responsibility for a knife attack in the western city of Solingen that killed three people.

Additionally, a 29-year-old Albanian national was arrested last week after threatening to kill police officers in Linz am Rhein, south of Bonn. Investigators discovered an IS flag drawn on the wall of his apartment during a search.

Concerns over immigration and security have intensified, particularly ahead of elections in the state of Brandenburg, where the far-right populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is currently polling strongly.