A 24-year-old man and two of his alleged accomplices have been arrested for allegedly planning to carry out multiple terrorist attacks on Christmas Markets across Europe, Zeit Online reports.

The three men are believed to have been planning several terrorist attacks in Europe. The 24-year-old, who has a criminal record for his membership in a terrorist organization, allegedly first wanted to escape from prison and then wanted to bomb a Christmas market in Vienna. After that, he planned to carry out deadly attacks in Salzburg, Germany, France, and Luxembourg. 

The primary suspect has since been transferred to a maximum-security prison. He is said to have been in regular contact with the two other suspects via cell phone, despite cell phones being banned at prisons in Austria.

The two alleged accomplices, men aged 25 and 31, have been arrested by Austrian authorities for planning to help the main suspect escape from prison. 

The 25-year-old suspect had made a fake Romanian passport for the 24-year-old. It remains unclear as to whether the two suspects, who weren’t in prison at the time, also helped the primary suspect to plan the attacks.

The suspects’ lawyers have confirmed the allegations and admit that their clients were in contact with the 24-year-old prisoner who had allegedly been planning the Christmas Market attack in Vienna.

However, the lawyers contend that their clients’ conversations with the primary suspect were entirely private and that the two knew nothing about his plans to attack the Christmas Market.