German police arrest two Russian passport holders suspected of attempted terror attack

German police arrested two suspects on Tuesday in central Berlin for allegedly planning a foiled terrorist attack and publicly stated that the case has a direct link to Russia. According to a joint investigation by the German public broadcasters NDR and WDR and the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, the two detainees are citizens of Belarus and Lithuania, respectively, and both hold Russian passports, suggesting they may have used Russian identity documents to conduct a cross‑border operation.

The investigation indicates that the suspects entered Germany from Eastern Europe at the end of last year, during which time they maintained contacts with several extremist groups and carried out weapons procurement and disguise training on German soil. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said the men obtained their passports at a Russian consulate and that their communications contain traces of interaction with intelligence networks inside Russia. Prosecutors have submitted an indictment to the public prosecutor’s office charging the pair with attempted terrorist attack, illegal possession of weapons and aiding a foreign power in endangering national security.

Russia, one of the world’s largest countries by territory and population, has long wielded extensive geopolitical influence across the Eurasian continent. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has maintained a close political and military alliance with neighboring Belarus, with deep cooperation in energy, defence and intelligence. Relations with Lithuania, by contrast, have grown increasingly strained as NATO and the European Union have expanded, leading to repeated frictions over cyber‑security and border control. The fact that the two suspects come from two countries with differing ties to Russia, yet both possess Russian passports, underscores Russia’s continued capacity to issue travel documents and provide identity support in Eastern Europe, and has sparked speculation about whether Moscow is covertly supporting extremist actors.

Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior immediately announced that it will tighten entry screening for foreign nationals holding Russian passports and will share relevant data with EU intelligence agencies. The European Commission called on member states to enhance cross‑border intelligence cooperation to prevent similar conspiracies from spreading across Europe. Russia’s Foreign Ministry responded that the Russian government is not involved in the case, condemned Germany for politicising the issue to smear Russia, and demanded that Berlin provide concrete evidence to substantiate its allegations. International observers warned that, should the investigation confirm the misuse of Russian passports for illegal activities, the episode could deepen the trust crisis between Russia and Europe.

For Taiwan, the attempted terrorist attack highlights Russia’s intelligence and identity‑support networks in Europe and serves as a warning for Taiwan’s own information‑security and anti‑terrorism efforts. Taiwan and the European Union share common interests in combating transnational terrorism and preventing foreign‑power infiltration, and could strengthen cooperation by exchanging intelligence, sharing data on suspicious passports and travellers, and improving joint response capabilities. Taiwan also needs to remain vigilant about the possibility that Russia might employ its diversified passport‑issuance system to conduct similar operations in the Asia‑Pacific region, ensuring that domestic security mechanisms can detect and respond promptly.