Lacking evidence, Germany releases Syrian terror suspects

Authorities say six arrested in raids across country Tuesday still thought to have ties to Islamic State

BERLIN — German authorities are releasing six Syrian men who were detained on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, saying there’s insufficient evidence to keep them in custody.

The suspects — Syrian citizens aged between 20 and 28 who arrived in Germany as asylum-seekers in 2014 and 2015 — were detained Tuesday in raids on eight apartments across the country.

They were accused of preparing an attack on “a public target in Germany” that officials didn’t identify. Neither weapons nor explosives were found.

News agency dpa reported that Frankfurt prosecutors said Wednesday that checks on the men’s cellphones hadn’t immediately yielded strong enough evidence to keep them in custody.

Investigators also didn’t find evidence that the suspects were members of the Islamic State group, though they do believe there are ties with IS.