German prosecutors: 21-year-old allegedly planned Islamic State combat training
A 21-year-old man is in pretrial detention, suspected of seeking combat training with the Islamic State group in Somalia or Pakistan. He is accused of attempted membership in a terrorist group.
Symbolic image · Photo: Sitacuisses / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de (cropped and resized)
Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office has had a 21-year-old German placed in pretrial detention over alleged terror plans. The suspect allegedly intended to undergo combat training with the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Somalia or Pakistan. The Karlsruhe-based authority accuses him of attempted membership in a terrorist organization, according to the German news agency dpa.
The man was extradited to Germany on Friday. An investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice executed the arrest warrant. The Federal Prosecutor's Office did not say when or under what circumstances the 21-year-old was arrested. The authority considers the case particularly serious because it involves support for an internationally operating terrorist organization.
Investigators are now examining whether the suspect had already taken concrete steps to carry out his plans, as well as possible connections and preparations. According to information so far, there are no indications that he had already been abroad. He is presumed innocent.