German police foil suspected plot to damage Merz's private plane

German police have arrested three people at an aircraft hangar housing Chancellor Friedrich Merz's private plane in western Germany.

Two women and one man aged 23, 28 and 56 are believed to have been looking to damage the plane, prosecutors in Merz's home town of Arnsberg said.

They were arrested for trespassing after gaining unauthorized access to the Arnsberg-Menden airfield overnight.

Merz, who took office last May, is an avid pilot and is based in Arnsberg, some 400 kilometres south-west of Berlin.

Police officers became suspicious when a driver asked for directions to an airfield in the area. He was later identified as a known left-wing activist and police turned their attention to the airfield housing Merz's plane, leading to the arrest of the three German nationals.

A group called Resistance Collective has claimed responsibility for the attempted plot, saying it had "attempted to ground Friedrich Merz's private jet as part of a protest action."