German police hunt man suspected of plotting bomb attack

Hundreds of German police, including specialist commandos, are searching for a 22-year-old Syrian man suspected of planning a bomb attack after a raid on his apartment.

Police in Saxony appealed to the public to call them with any information on Jaber Albakr, who was last seen wearing a black hoodie with a bright pattern on the front.

The police raid on his apartment in the eastern city of Chemnitz followed a tip-off from Germany’s intelligence agency, although the “where, when, how and why” of the planned attack remained unclear, Saxony police spokesperson Tom Bernhardt said.

Police found traces of explosives in the apartment, and have asked local residents to remain indoors.

Germany has been on edge since two attacks this summer claimed by the Islamic State militant group in which several people were injured and both assailants died. The attacks fuelled concerns among some Germans about the country’s record influx of refugees last year.

German police have previously said that they had identified 532 people who posed a security threat to the country, about half of which were known to be in Germany at present.