A possible IS sympathizer sought access to European Championship events.
A suspect, believed to be a supporter of terrorism, got apprehended at the Cologne/Bonn Airport this Friday. He attempted to obtain credentials to serve as a steward during the European Football Championship. North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister, Herbert Reul, confirmed this in a press conference in Neuss. He stated that there were no concrete plans for an attack.
According to Reul, all those involved in security and order at the event undergo strict screening and receive accreditation. During this process, the authorities identified this individual as a potential issue, leading to his detainment.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office spokesperson confirmed the arrest on Saturday, reporting that the suspect, with German-Moroccan-Polish nationality, transferred approximately 1,700 US dollars to the ISPK (Islamic State Province Khorasan) account through a cryptocurrency exchange in September 2023.
Investigators are currently pursuing charges of supporting a terrorist organization abroad and violating the Foreign Trade Act against the individual. The focus of the investigation is the money transfers, the spokesperson added. The suspect was subsequently presented to the judge at the Federal Court of Justice and has been in pre-trial detention since last Friday.
The detained person had applied for a job as a steward and security personnel for various side events related to the European Championship outside the stadiums. These events could include public viewing areas and other locations not directly connected to the primary matches. The European Championship commences with Germany taking on Scotland in Munich on Friday.
SPD Federal Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, expressed praise for the vigilance and effectiveness of the security forces. She mentioned this case as proof that their security-check measures are robust. "Our security concepts appear to be working, as evident by this discovery," Faeser said during the event in Neuss.
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The individual in question aimed to attend the European Football Championship 2024 as a steward, having applied for positions at various side events outside the stadiums away from the primary matches. Despite this, Nancy Faeser, the SPD Federal Interior Minister, commended the effectiveness of the security forces, stating that the detection of such potential threats underscores the robustness of their security measures. Regarding the arrest, German Football Association (DFB) President Faeser praised the authorities' vigilance, emphasizing that this incident highlights the importance of rigorous security checks ahead of major sporting events, such as the European Football Championship.
