German police arrest 10 people on suspicion of planning Islamist attack

Some 200 police officers took part in the raids (file picture)

Police in Germany have arrested 10 people on suspicion of planning an Islamist attack.

The arrests were made after some 200 police officers carried out raids in the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.

The men had plotted to "kill as many 'non-believers' as possible" using a vehicle and guns, prosecutors said.

A 21-year-old man from Offenbach, near Frankfurt, and two 31-year-old brothers from Wiesbaden are the main suspects.

"They had already made contact with different arms dealers, rented a large vehicle and collected financial assets to use for the purchase of guns and the execution of the planned murders," a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said.

The suspects are aged between 20 and 42 and several are German nationals, the spokeswoman added.

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The men have been detained on charges of terrorism financing and criminal conspiracy.

Police seized 20,000 euros (£17,000; $22,500) in cash during the raids, as well as several knives, drugs, a number of electronic devices and documents.

Germany has been on high alert following several jihadist attacks in recent years.

The most deadly was in December 2016 when a man drove a lorry into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.

Anis Amri, the Tunisian behind the attack, was shot and killed in Italy four days later.