Terrorist activities: threats to security and peace. - Authorities apprehend alleged IS sympathizer at the airport.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office has taken into custody a suspected IS backer in North Rhine-Westphalia. The man, who holds German-Moroccan-Polish citizenship, was detained at Cologne/Bonn Airport on Friday, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the Karlsruhe office in response to an enquiry. The charges against him involve transferring a total of close to $1,700 to an Islamic State Province Khorasan (ISPK) account via a cryptocurrency exchange in September 2023.
The suspect is being investigated for allegedly aiding a foreign terrorist organization and breaching the Foreign Trade Act. The arrest warrant specifically focuses on the monetary transactions, the spokesperson said. The individual has been in custody since Friday evening.
Before his apprehension, German newspaper Bild had shared details on this case, also mentioning a possible connection to the upcoming Euro 2024 football tournament in Germany. The Federal Prosecutor's Office representative declined to comment on the report. He also did not provide additional details about the investigation. It was planned to issue a statement at the start of the week, he added.
Sources from the security community claim the man had applied to work as a steward and security personnel for ancillary events ("Side Events") outside stadiums, as well as other large-scale gatherings. During the vetting process, he was unsuccessful.
Bild further reported that the man had sought accreditation for two major events without success. His apartment was subsequently searched, and according to the report, the authorities seized mobile phones, data storage devices, computers, and "suspicious documents." The man in custody has remained silent about the accusations against him.
The ISPK - a branch of the extremist group Islamic State - has its roots in Afghanistan. Khorasan refers to a historical region spanning parts of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan, along with parts of Iran.
The terrorist organization has been under scrutiny recently: Western intelligence and experts suspect the ISPK was behind the attack on a recreational center on Moscow's outskirts on March 22, where over 140 people lost their lives in the worst terrorist attack in Russia in years. Several alleged extremists and accomplices are currently in custody.
Two ISPK terror suspects were arrested in Gera, Thuringia in March. The men from Afghanistan were said to have planned an attack on the Swedish parliament in retaliation for Koran burnings. The IS-branch is also associated with plots concerning Christmas 2023 in Cologne, Vienna, and Madrid.
According to information from security officials, militant Islamists are attempting to cause disruption in Germany as the European Football Championship approaches. The ISPK's calls for terrorist attacks form "a part of the ongoing propaganda campaign that aims to create chaos and provoke lone wolves," as per statements made in May from security sources. The group recently published an image on one of its channels depicting a man with an automatic weapon in a stadium.
Read also:
- The arrest took place at Cologne/Bonn Airport in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- The suspect had applied for work as a steward and security personnel for Euro 2024 football tournament side events.
- The Islamic State Province Khorasan (ISPK) is a branch of the extremist group Islamic State, originating from Afghanistan.
- Bild newspaper reported that authorities searched the man's apartment and seized various items, including mobile phones and computers.
- Terrorism threats have led security officials to warn of potential disruptions during the upcoming European Football Championship in Germany.
- The man in custody was charged with aiding a foreign terrorist organization and breaching the Foreign Trade Act.
- The USD was used in the monetary transactions under investigation, which were made via a crypto exchange.
