Nine individuals have been arrested in Germany and the Netherlands on suspicion of involvement in Islamist terrorism, including planning attacks and raising funds for the Islamic State (IS) group. The arrests were made on July 6, targeting individuals from Central Asia who were allegedly part of a domestic terrorist group in Germany.
In Germany, seven men were apprehended, and accused of supporting IS and establishing a terrorist organization within the country. The suspects, who had known each other for an extended period, held radical Islamic views and arrived in Germany around the same time from Ukraine following Russia's invasion last year. Prosecutors claim that the group was formed a year ago with the intention of carrying out attacks in Germany. They were allegedly in contact with members of an IS affiliate, Islamic State Khorasan Province, operating in Afghanistan. While the group had scouted potential targets in Germany and attempted to acquire weapons, there was no concrete plan for an attack at the time of the arrests.
Furthermore, all but one of the individuals arrested in Germany were reportedly involved in collecting funds for IS since April 2022 and transferring the money to the group. German prosecutors identified the men arrested there as Ata A., a citizen of Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan national Abrorjon K., and five citizens of Tajikistan — Mukhammadshujo A., Nuriddin K., Shamshud N., Said S., and Raboni Z. The full names of the suspects have not been disclosed due to privacy rules.
In the Netherlands, a 29-year-old man from Tajikistan and his 31-year-old Kyrgyz wife, who had been residing in the country since last year, were arrested on suspicion of engaging in preparatory acts for terrorist offenses. The man is also suspected of being a member of IS.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized that the arrests highlight the ongoing threat of Islamist terrorism. Meanwhile, North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul revealed that the arrested individuals in Germany believed they could conduct their terrorist activities undetected within the country, including scouting targets and acquiring funds and weapons.
Authorities in both countries are now conducting further investigations to gather more information about the suspects and their alleged plans.
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