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German police arrest three Syrian men 'sent to Europe by Isis to carry out terror attacks' German police arrest three Syrian men 'sent to Europe by Isis to carry out terror attacks'
(35 minutes later)
German police have arrested three Syrian men suspected of being sent to Germany by Isis to carry out attacks. German police have arrested three Syrian men suspected of being sent by Isis to carry out new terror attacks in Europe.
Prosecutors said the three suspects, aged between 17 and 26, were dispatched in November 2015 “either to carry out a mission that they had been informed about or to wait for further instructions”. It was unclear where any attack would have taken place. Prosecutors said the three suspects were dispatched to Germany last year “either to carry out a mission that they had been informed about or to wait for further instructions”.
“Concrete missions or orders have not so far been found in the course of investigations carried out so far,” a spokesperson for the federal prosecutor said. They were named as Mahir al-H, 17, Ibrahim M, 18, and Mohamed A, 18, with their surnames redacted according to German privacy laws.
The arrests were made during a series of raids in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, with police searhing six properties and three refugee centres. “Concrete missions or orders have not yet been found in the course of investigations carried out so far,” a spokesperson for the federal prosecutor said.
The arrests were made during a series of raids involving 200 officers in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, with police searching the suspects' homes.
Investigators said the 17-year-old suspect had been trained to use guns and handle explosives in Isis' de-facto capital of Raqqa before crossing into Europe on the refugee route from Turkey to Greece.
The trio, carrying false passports, made their way to Germany in November 2015 and have received four-figure payments in American dollars from Isis, as well as mobile phones with pre-installed communication apps.
More than a million refugees and asylum seekers arrived in Germany last year, when Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the border to all Syrians fleeing the country's civil war.More than a million refugees and asylum seekers arrived in Germany last year, when Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the border to all Syrians fleeing the country's civil war.
Germany has been targeted in a spate of recent terror attacks, including three carried out by asylum seekers, of which two were claimd by Isis. Germany has been targeted in a spate of recent attacks, including three carried out by asylum seekers, of which two were claimed by Isis.
Additional reporting by Reuters Several terror suspects posing as Syrian refugees have been arrested in German counter-terror operations so far this year, although no convictions have been announced.
Harry Sarfo, a former Isis recruit, told The Independent he was approached by commanders looking for militants to carry out attacks in the UK and Germany while living in Raqqa last year.
He said he declined and later fled the group, but there are fears it has continued to exploit the refugee route to send back trained jihadists.
Europol estimates that up to 5,000 Europeans may have undergone training at terror camps abroad and the agency's director has warned the continent faces its “biggest terror threat in more than a decade” from returning fighters.