German prosecutors have brought formal charges against seven suspected radical Islamists arrested last July in West Germany, DPA reported. quoted by BTA.
The men are accused of forming a terrorist organization and planning attacks in Germany. Six of the seven suspects are also accused of supporting the radical organization “Islamic State”.
The accused are citizens of Central Asian countries who entered Germany at the same time in 2022. They were all arrested during raids in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in July 2023 and have been in custody since then.
They are believed to have worked with another man who has been charged in the Netherlands. According to German prosecutors, the men were researching possible targets for attacks in Germany and other parts of Western Europe.
They are said to have tried to collect money and weapons, but made no concrete plans for attacks. According to the accusations, the group also maintained contacts with members of the IS branch “Islamic State - Khorasan" .
Meanwhile, the police in Belgium have searched the building of two Kurdish television channels, the Belgian news agency Belga reported, quoted by BTA.
The prosecutor's office confirmed the information and said the searches were at the request of France, as part of an investigation into the financing of terrorist activity.
According to the lawyer of TV “Sterk“ (Sterk) and “Media Haber“ (Medya Haber) the search lasted about four hours. “During the search, a lot of damage was caused to the building. A lot of doors were broken in,”, she said. “Several laptops of journalists were confiscated and telecommunications were cut off. We don't know why the search took place”, the lawyer specified.
Federal prosecutors later said the searches were in connection with a European investigation warrant issued by France as part of an investigation into terrorist financing. Since Belgium acted at the request of another country, the prosecutor's office is not providing additional information for the time being.
„Around 1:30 this morning, I received a phone call that more than 100 police officers were trying to enter the building without my knowledge,” said Daniel Sommer, managing director at “Sterk Productions” (Sterk Productions). Those present were not allowed to leave the building or contact anyone,” he said.
In a press release from the law firm, the affected TV channels stated that “there are no valid reasons” for “opposing Kurdish-oriented TV channels”. The statement mentions Turkey and NATO allies, as well as the Turkish offensive in the Kurdish region.
Another raid took place in 2010, during which all computers and cameras belonging to another channel were confiscated.
According to the Kurdish National Congress, at the same time, a Kurdish news agency was searched in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The raid is said to have led to the arrest of seven journalists.