According to the German Federal Prosecutor’s findings, seven men from Central Asia, aged between 21 and 47, were determined to carry out high-profile attacks in Germany and Western Europe. They are now on trial.
For their planned attacks, they were in close contact with leaders of ISPK (“Islamic State Province of Khorasan”), the Afghan-Pakistani branch of the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS). At one point, a member of the suspected cell traveled through Iran to Afghanistan to meet with an ISPK figure. Currently, ISPK, which operates highly covertly, is considered the greatest jihadist threat in Germany. Even before the devastating Islamist attack on a concert hall in a Moscow suburb in late March, federal and state security agencies had already assessed the danger posed by ISPK terrorists in Germany as high.
The seven men were part of a suspected terror cell that had been under surveillance for many months by German security agencies, working together with Dutch investigators and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust). The authorities aimed to gather as much information as possible about the still relatively new ISPK phenomenon and to fully uncover the men’s extensive network and plans.
Just over a year ago, investigators decided to act quickly. Although the group had not yet pursued any specific attack plans, the information gathered from extensive surveillance was highly alarming. Since then, the suspected leader of the group and his wife have been in custody in the Netherlands. The men now on trial in Düsseldorf were arrested by special forces in several locations across North Rhine-Westphalia. Five of the suspected ISPK supporters are from Tajikistan, and one each from Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
According to the prosecutor’s findings, the men, who had known each other for several years and were networked with each other, came to Germany via Poland with forged papers shortly after the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine. In late June 2022, they formed a secretive and conspiratorial association with the goal of carrying out “publicly impactful terrorist attacks” in Germany and other Western European countries, according to the indictment. Before their arrest, the suspected members of the terror cell met at least 58 times in various locations in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Netherlands, and Belgium, restlessly discussing various potential targets, technical implementation, and possible victims. The indictment states that the men also discussed an attack on a liberal mosque in Berlin; two of the accused exchanged images of the mosque. A clue to how deeply the suspects were embedded in ISPK’s structure could be that the liberal Berlin mosque was referred to as a “place of devil worship” a few months later in an online magazine published by the terrorist group, implicitly marking it as a potential target for other attackers.
From early 2023, the group also reportedly developed a particular interest in attacks on Jews. At one meeting, a suspected member researched the daily routines of devout Jews, as well as their prayer and clothing customs. In early April 2023, undercover federal police officers followed three of the men from Cologne Central Station to the Deutzer Kirmes fair, where they photographed various rides and the surroundings. This is only briefly mentioned in Tuesday’s indictment, but investigators believe the fair visit was part of scouting for possible attack targets.
One of the men allegedly placed several plastic bottles filled with a clear liquid in a suitcase in March 2023—presumably to test its suitability as a suitcase bomb. He sent photos of this to another accused, who was reportedly involved in the technical preparations for an attack. The group also made intensive efforts to obtain weapons, according to the indictment. A plan to purchase a Makarov pistol in June 2023 failed due to lack of funds. Likewise, the group was unable to buy a Stinger missile for €5,000, which had been offered by a man from the partly Russian-occupied Donetsk region. Another member of the suspected terror cell repeatedly searched online for weapons, including AK-47 submachine guns.
In the end, the attacks failed mainly due to financial constraints. A potential financier, a Chechen ISPK fighter, was killed in Afghanistan. The group did manage to find a new backer—a still unidentified Chechen living in Austria—but shortly afterward, the seven men were arrested.
Although the group had not yet identified specific attack targets, the overall results of the investigation have led the prosecution to conclude there is a strong suspicion of criminal activity. Analysis of mobile phones and chat messages seems to have been highly fruitful. Documents for planning terrorist acts, such as instructions for gas explosions and bomb-making, were found on the phone of the group’s suspected leader.
In WhatsApp chats, one of the accused expressed dissatisfaction with life among “infidels,” saying he was “fed up” with Europe and that the group lived here with the expectation of being “called to God.” Elsewhere, he said they would “see each other in paradise after martyrdom.” One of the men confided in a contact in Tajikistan that the group was fulfilling its duty on the path to Allah and that, God willing, there would soon “be a bomb.” The man told an undercover police informant that the Islamic faith must be “brought to light with a big bang.” He urged another defendant to stay fit and “be ready.”
Six of the seven men are also accused of supporting the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS) by transferring several thousand euros to IS leaders abroad. According to investigators, the money was not only collected among sympathizers; three of the accused regularly stole high-end clothing, which was then sold to customers in Turkey.
All publishing rights and copyrights reserved to MENA Research Center.
