The terrorist militia IS is still fighting. Money is also being collected for this in Germany. The judiciary has now struck an almost nationwide blow.
The federal prosecutor’s office has arrested seven suspected supporters of the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS). There are four women and three men, most of whom have German citizenship.
In addition, there were searches in 19 properties in Berlin, Bavaria, Bremen, Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia on Wednesday morning, the Karlsruhe authority said. It was about a financing network of the IS. The newspapers “BZ” and “Bild” had first reported on this.
According to the information, four of the arrests were made in the Heinsberg district and in the Rheinisch-Bergisch district in North Rhine-Westphalia, one more each in Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, in the Neuwied district in Rhineland-Palatinate and Bremen. The country’s top prosecutor accuses the men and women of supporting a terrorist organization.
At least 65,000 euros transferred to IS in Syria
According to the federal prosecutor, the reason for the large-scale raid on suspected supporters of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) on Wednesday was an international financing network. Since 2020, two IS supporters have been campaigning for money payments from Syria via the online service Telegram, according to the highest prosecuting authority in Germany.
“Integrated into the network were financial intermediaries who collected funds and made accounts or digital donation funds available.” The money collected was transferred to IS members in Syria or to intermediaries named there – a total of at least 65,000 euros.
According to the information, the payments served to strengthen IS. “The funds were used in particular to improve the supply situation for members of the association imprisoned in the northern Syrian camps Al-Hol and Roj,” explained the federal prosecutor. “In some cases, the money was used to enable the inmates to escape or be smuggled out of the camps.”
fundraisers for women
The campaigns on social media with titles like “Your sister in the camp” have been running for several years. There were repeated reports that women, children and young people who still feel they belong to IS were smuggled out of the camp in exchange for large sums of money.
Of the dozens of IS women who have returned to Germany in recent years, many have been arrested and sentenced upon arrival. Some of them came to Germany with their children from Syria via return campaigns, others were deported or came back on their own.
tightened laws
For years, the IS controlled large areas in the civil war country Syria and in neighboring Iraq. In June 2014 he proclaimed a so-called caliphate and claimed his claim to leadership in global jihad. According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the peak phase ended in 2016. In the meantime, the extremists have lost their dominion again. However, IS cells are still active in both countries.
Since the beginning of January 2014, according to the Criminal Code, acts by members or supporters of IS who are German citizens, reside in Germany or work here can be prosecuted. On September 12, 2014, the Ministry of the Interior also issued a ban on IS activity in Germany. This includes, among other things, any participation in social media and demonstrations in favor of the IS and any kind of support act such as raising money and material as well as recruiting fighters. These acts have been punishable since then.
