Teen arrested over ‘plot to bomb a gay club’
A teenager in Germany has been arrested after allegedly plotting a bomb attack on a gay nightclub.
The 17-year-old, who has not been publicly named, was arrested in Frankfurt this month in connection with an alleged terrorist plot.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors have confirmed that the teen has been arrested on suspicion of preparing a serious act of violence.
AP reports that the arrest comes after intelligence was provided by the United States that indicated the teen was planning attacks on a gay venue and a Catholic church in the city.
A policeman in Frankfurt, Germany. (Hannelore Foerster/Getty)
The specific target has not been identified.
Frankfurt has a large gay community, and thousands attend the city’s annual LGBT+ Pride celebrations.
Gay venues have been targeted by terrorists on a number of occasions.
A neo-Nazi nail bomb attack killed three people at London’s Admiral Duncan pub in 1999, while 49 people died at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016.
Security services are believed to have foiled several other attacks on LGBT+ venues over the past few years.
In 2017, the French Interior Minister announced that officers had averted a terrorist “plan of violent action” targeting “Parisian nightclubs and in particular gay clubs.”
The Pulse nightclub (Getty)
Two men were arrested in Paris in June 2018 over another terror plot believed to be “targeting homosexuals.”
Meanwhile an ISIS-inspired teacher in east London was convicted in March 2018 of plotting attacks on gay bars and public landmarks in London.
Security has also been upped at many Pride celebrations in recent years over fears that events could be targeted by extremists, following a spate of terror attacks across Europe.
The annual Pride in London parade saw heightened security in the wake of the Orlando bombing, while the Pride parade route in Paris was altered to allow for extra police and security measures.
