24 apr 2024 om 18:05
Seven foreigners have been charged in Germany for allegedly plotting attacks on behalf of ISKP, a branch of the Islamic State (IS). They are said to have formed a terrorist organization with a man who is on trial in the Netherlands.
The suspects met regularly and explored possible locations for attacks in Germany, the German public prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday. They also allegedly tried to purchase weapons. At the time they were arrested, they had no concrete plans for an attack.
The suspects are said to have had contact with members of ISKP. That group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a concert hall in Moscow last month. 144 people were killed.
The arrested suspects are accused of forming a terrorist organization and plotting attacks. Six of them are also accused of supporting IS, because they are said to have raised several thousand euros for the terrorist organization.
The group was arrested in July in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and has been in custody ever since. Five of them are from Tajikistan, one from Kyrgyzstan and one from Turkmenistan. Researchers say they came to Germany via Ukraine, shortly after war broke out there (in February 2022). They are between 20 and 46 years old.
It is not yet clear when the German court will decide the case and when the trial will start.
Tags: Germany prosecutes suspects plotting terrorist attacks
