A German city was placed on lockdown today as armed police launched a hunt for a man suspected of planning a bomb attack on an airport.
A blast was heard as armed officers forced their way into a flat in the city of Chemnitz this afternoon.
The area outside the apartment was placed on lockdown with neighbours warned to stay indoors.
Details of the suspected plot have not been released by police but local media reported a suspect was planning an attack on a German airport.
Police revealed they are hunting for a man named Jaber Albakr, who is originally from a Damascus, Syria.
Photographs of the 22-year-old suspect were released by officers pleading for anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward.
It is not known if he is armed.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
Two people who were known to Albakr were taken into custody at Chemnitz train station and a third in downtown Chemnitz.
Officers received information from Germany's domestic intelligence agency on Friday night about the alleged attack plans, said Saxony police spokesman Tom Bernhardt.
Neighbours reported hearing an explosion, but that was the police assault team blowing open the apartment's door, said police spokeswoman Kathlen Zink.
She said police found nobody in the apartment, and they are now searching for the suspect.
Police said "several hundred grams" of explosives have been found in a raided apartment linked to an alleged bomb plot.
Saxony police spokesman Tom Bernhardt told reporters Saturday that the explosives were "relatively well hidden" in the apartment, which was raided earlier in the day.
Germany has been in a state of high tension after two attacks this summer claimed by the Islamic State, in which many people were injured and both assailants died.
Two other attacks unrelated to Islamic extremism, including a deadly mall shooting in Munich, have also stoked fears.
This page is being updated.
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