The Merkez Mosque in Duisburg-Marxloh (western Germany) was placed under police surveillance on Friday, January 24, in the morning after receiving a bomb threat by email the day before.

The anonymous author of the threat had announced an attack planned for Friday around noon. The police quickly cordoned off the area and evacuated the mosque, while explosive detection dogs were deployed to inspect the premises. At 2:50 PM, the alert was lifted as no bomb was found.

This threat occurs in a worrying context of rising Islamophobia in Germany, where several mosques have recently been targeted by attacks and threats. A similar alert was also sent to the central mosque in Essen.

This incident reflects a concerning trend of Islamophobic violence and threats, exacerbated by hateful rhetoric in the German political landscape.