In Düsseldorf, Germany, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against seven terror suspects who planned attacks inspired by the “Islamic State”. The suspects had already acquired weapons and spied on potential targets in Germany. The GSG-9 accessed the terrorist cell in multiple locations across Germany and made arrests in the Netherlands.
The suspects are accused of founding a domestic terrorist organization and participating in it with the support of the foreign terrorist organization “Islamic State”. They are also accused of violating the Foreign Trade Act. The suspects, who share radical Islamic views, entered Germany from Ukraine around the start of the war in spring 2022 and formed a terrorist organization to carry out attacks in Germany and other Western European countries.
The group had contact with members of the regional IS branch “Islamic State Khorasan Province” and regularly met to plan attacks and scout out potential targets in Germany. The suspects collected money for the IS organization and transferred funds to terrorists abroad. While a concrete attack plan was in place, law enforcement agencies intervened before any attacks took place.