Germany releases wrongfully held prisoner thought to plan attack on Israeli embassy Alleged terrorist was just looking for future wife online

A Libyan refugee, who was previously accused of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin, has been fully acquitted and released from prison. 

The case initially suggested Omar A. (name redacted by German authorities) had internet activities that have tied him to the ISIS terror organization, Caliber.Az reports citing German media. As a Berlin court now concluded, the theory has been debunked and his online activities found to have been completely unrelated to extremist activities

The Libyan national had been arrested in October 2024 on suspicion of supporting ISIS and planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin. 

As the investigation has now revealed, Omar A. voluntarily provided the password to his phone to investigators, a rare gesture for individuals suspected of terrorism. The investigation showed that he had no contacts with extremists and had instead been searching for a future wife online. Investigators themselves noted that the claims of his ISIS connections were fabricated by data sellers trying to profit from misinformation.

During a search of Omar A.'s accommodation at a refugee shelter in Bernau, no weapons or evidence of an attack were found. Omar's lawyer, Marvin Schrott, stated that his client had been a victim of "malicious deception."

His release came so unexpectedly that he was forced to spend his first night in freedom in a homeless shelter. He has since returned to the refugee shelter in Bernau, where he had been living before his arrest.

By Nazrin Sadigova