Hungary’s anti-terrorism force TEK have arrested a young Hungarian Muslim believed to have been planning terrorist attacks in Hungary.
TEK chief János Hajdu said the 21-year-old suspect had been making preparations for attacks such as exploding bombs at mass events or driving into crowds. TEK had launched an investigation into communication on internet sites linked to the Islamic State terrorist organisation, where people “promoting jihadist propaganda” were chatting about preparations for terrorist attacks.
During the conversations, the suspect agreed to prepare pipe bombs for use in mass events in Hungary and expressed his wish to commit ramming attacks, he said, adding that the young man had already bought materials for the bombs. Hajdu said that the suspect was a “regular, average” university student in Budapest, who had converted to Islam. Answering a question, Hajdu said he could not tell if the suspect had accomplices.