The Federal Prosecutor's Office in Germany announced today, Wednesday, that "authorities have arrested seven individuals suspected of being supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) as part of an investigation related to financing terrorism." The office noted that authorities executed 19 simultaneous raids in the states of "Baden-Württemberg," "Bremen," "Hamburg," "Hesse," "North Rhine-Westphalia," and "Rhineland-Palatinate," in addition to a raid on a property in the Netherlands.
It was stated that at least 65,000 euros (approximately 71,552 dollars) were transferred in this manner, and the funds were used to support organization members imprisoned in Syria, and in some cases facilitated their escape from detention camps. Authorities suspect that those arrested belong to an international network that solicited financial donations for the "Islamic State" in Syria through platforms including the "Telegram" app, and then transferred these donations to the organization or its intermediaries.
The seven suspects are scheduled to appear today and tomorrow, Thursday, before an investigative judge who will decide whether they will remain in pre-trial detention. Earlier today, the German newspaper "Bild" reported that the Federal Police are conducting searches in buildings and residential units across 12 federal states as part of the investigation into suspected Islamists. It confirmed that four of these locations are in Berlin, while searches are underway in "Cologne," "Wuppertal," and surrounding areas of "Mönchengladbach" and "Aachen."
