German Police Arrest Teen in Suspected Terror Plot Against Gay Club

A teenager has been arrested in Germany for allegedly plotting to blow up a gay nightclub and a Catholic church in Frankfurt.

The 17-year-old was arrested September 1 by police in the state of Hesse, which includes Frankfurt, but prosecutors just shared information with international media outlets Thursday, the Associated Press reports.

Frankfurt prosecutors' spokesman Sinan Akdogan told the AP only that the teen was suspected of planning a major act of violence, but other sources divulged details about the intended targets. The planned attack's motive was reportedly an extreme form of Islam, according to the AP. U.S. intelligence services helped provide the information that led to his arrest, sources said.

The suspect's name is Yusuf Erkocoglu, reports The Jerusalem Post, the first publication to obtain this information; it came from a German intelligence source. He has dual German and Turkish citizenship, according to German media.

Small amounts of chemicals were found in the suspect's home, Akdogan told the AP, and the teen was trying to acquire more. He also had instructions on bomb-making, the spokesman added.