Five men were arrested in Germany on Friday over a suspected plot to drive a vehicle into crowds at a Christmas market. The suspects include three Moroccans, one Egyptian and one Syrian, all held in southern Bavaria. Authorities suspect an "Islamist motive" behind the plan. Prosecutors said the 56-year-old Egyptian allegedly "called for a vehicle attack... with the aim of killing or injuring as many people as possible." The Moroccan men are accused of agreeing to carry out the attack, while the 37-year-old Syrian is charged with encouraging them. German officials have stepped up security after past attacks at Christmas markets, such as the 2016 Berlin lorry attack and another in Magdeburg last December that killed six. Authorities did not disclose when or exactly where the attack was planned but believe it was targeting a market in the Dingolfing-Landau area near Munich. The Egyptian suspect is reported by Bild newspaper to have been an imam at a local mosque. All five suspects appeared before a magistrate on Saturday and remain in custody. Bavaria's state interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, praised the "excellent cooperation between our security services" that helped prevent "a potentially Islamist-motivated attack." Christmas markets are important festive events in Germany but have been targeted by terrorists before, leading to increased security measures.