Police have stated that the teenager detained in the northern town of Elmshorn was motivated by extreme Islamism. Reports indicate that he was planning a truck attack similar to the 2016 terror attack on a Berlin Christmas market.

Prosecutors in the northern German city of Flensburg said on Tuesday that a youth arrested last week was planning an Islamist terror attack. They stated that the young man had made "sufficiently concrete plans for an attack" to warrant his arrest. Additionally, they confirmed there was evidence pointing to his radicalization.

The young man had been detained a week earlier in the town of Elmshorn and remains in custody while authorities continue their investigation. Despite the arrest, very little information has been disclosed about the suspect. For instance, authorities have not revealed how they became aware of his plans or the specific details surrounding his arrest.

However, it has been disclosed that the suspect intended to use a large vehicle, such as a truck, to carry out the attack. This plan is reminiscent of the December 2016 attack in Berlin, where Anis Amri deliberately drove a truck into pedestrians at a Christmas market. That attack resulted in 13 deaths and 70 injuries.

After the Berlin attack, Amri fled to Italy. He was killed several days later in a shootout with police.