Midday Roundup: Germany thwarts ISIS-ordered attack

ISIS in Germany. German intelligence officials have thwarted a terror attack on Dusseldorf ordered by Islamic State leaders. Police arrested three Syrians who allegedly planned to attack the historic part of the western German town with two suicide bombs followed by explosive devices and gunfire. A fourth man, a 25-year-old Syrian national, confessed the plot to officials in France, where he has been held since February. German police captured his alleged co-conspirators in three separate parts of the country. According to officials, they entered Germany via the same route traveled by asylum-seekers coming from the Middle East through Turkey and Greece. That revelation has spurred renewed debate about security threats posed by terrorists hiding among innocent Syrians and Iraqis fleeing ISIS violence.

Armenian admission. Complicating the migrant situation in Europe, German lawmakers on Wednesday adopted a resolution acknowledging the Armenian genocide during World War I. As many as 1.5 million Armenians died in the 1915 massacre at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, the German ally that became the modern state of Turkey. In response to the vote, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Berlin in protest. Turkey has refused to acknowledge the extent of the killings, insisting its then-leaders had no intention of wiping out an entire people group. The issue could put a strain on Turkey’s relationship with Europe and the agreement to stem the flow of Middle Eastern migrants. The European Union has agreed to give Turkey $3.3 billion to help deal with the 2.6 million migrants already within its borders.

Zika complications. Health officials have confirmed the first baby born in the continental United States with abnormalities related to the Zika virus. The girl born to a 31-year-old native of Honduras arrived by C-section on Tuesday at the University Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J. The child has microcephaly and other problems associated with Zika contracted during gestation. The unidentified woman contracted Zika in Honduras and traveled to the United States for treatment after her Zika diagnosis was confirmed. More than 300 pregnant women in the United States who contracted Zika while traveling outside the country are waiting to see whether their babies also will have birth defects. Meanwhile, Detroit Tigers pitcher Francisco Rodriguez confirms he contracted the virus after visiting his hometown in Venezuela.

Lawyer leaves. Donald Verrilli, the U.S. solicitor general who argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of Obamacare and same-sex marriage, will step down at the end of June. Verrilli served as the nation’s top litigator for five years and argued a slew of high-profile cases that will have a long-term effect on the nation. He was instrumental in mapping out the strategy for arguing, not only in court but also in the court of public opinion, that Obamacare was a tax on people without health insurance. That tactic ultimately persuaded Chief Justice John Roberts, who cast the swing vote to uphold the president’s healthcare overhaul.

WORLD Radio’s Carl Peetz contributed to this report.