Advertisement

Police in eight cities raid premises of suspected Islamists

Author thumbnail
Police in eight cities raid premises of suspected Islamists

Police in eight cities across Germany and Belgium raided flats and club houses allegedly connected to an extreme Islamist group on Tuesday.

Advertisement

They are accused of illegally raising money for Islamist projects, the Munich police told German news agency DPA, but stressed the men were not thought to be directly connected with acts of terrorism.

It is a business case, a spokesman said. The seven individuals, who were not arrested, are suspected of having formed a criminal conspiracy to have fraudulently bid for grants and contributions, as well as having bought property, laundered money and forged documents. Several computers were confiscated.

The reason was, “to pursue a number of political-religious and ultimately Islamist aims,” a detective said.

The main suspect, a 41-year-old man from North Rhine-Westphalia, is said to have connections to a number of Islamist organisations including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Other suspects are said to have also cultivated links with such groups, while one is said to have collected donations for weapon purchases during the Bosnian war.

Business and club premises were raided in Munich, Garching, Bornheim, Cologne, Hamm, Kerpen, Berlin and locations in Belgium.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also