In recent months, there has been an increase in terrorist attacks that have been uncovered and thwarted in various European countries, as the military operation in Gaza has contributed to the worsening of terrorist threats. In Germany today (Wednesday) indictments were filed against seven citizens from Central Asia – five from Tajikistan, one from Kyrgyzstan and one from Turkmenistan – for establishing an extremist Islamic terrorist cell that planned to carry out attacks in the name of the ISIS-Khorsan branch.
The defendants, who were arrested in raids in July 2023 and have been in custody ever since, assumed an “extreme Islamic attitude” after arriving in Germany from Ukraine at the outbreak of the war. They made contact with another suspect in the Netherlands with the aim of establishing a cell that would carry out ISIS attacks in Germany or Western Europe, and were even in contact with ISIS-Khorsan operatives abroad.
According to the indictment, the members of the cell gathered intelligence on potential targets, tried to purchase weapons and raise funds, but had not yet had time to formulate an “actual attack plan” at the time of their arrest. Six of them are also accused of recruiting and transferring thousands of euros to ISIS abroad.
In France, a 16-year-old boy was arrested today on suspicion of expressing a desire to “die by hand” in a suicide attack on behalf of ISIS at the Olympic Games in Paris. According to reports, the boy from southeastern France posted messages on Telegram about his intentions to obtain components for an explosive belt and carry out an attack in the La Défense area during the Olympics. An oath of allegiance to ISIS and he is suspected of “participating in an association for a serious crime”.
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