German police detain 17-year-old Syrian who they suspect was planning suicide attack

German police have detained a 17-year-old Syrian outside Berlin on suspicion he was planning a suicide attack.

The Brandenburg State Interior Ministry said the suspect was detained in the county of Uckermark, northeast of Berlin.

The ministry had no immediate details on how close he was to carrying out an attack or other information on the suspect.

German security officials have repeatedly warned that the country is in the crosshairs of international terrorism groups. In December, a Tunisian citizen attacked a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring dozens.

The teenager was detained after police learned he had sent a message to family members saying farewell and that "he had joined the jihad", or holy war.

"Evidence of the planning of a concrete act has not yet been identified during the police investigation," police said.

The teenager, whose name has not been released, came to Germany in 2015 as an unaccompanied minor and registered as an asylum-seeker. He has been living since 2016 in a home for minor refugees in Uckermark.