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| German police arrest three Syrian men 'sent to Europe by Isis to carry out terror attacks' as part of Paris attacks network | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| German police have arrested three Syrian men suspected of being sent by Isis to carry out new terror attacks in Europe. | 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 were dispatched to Germany last year “either to carry out a mission that they had been informed about or to wait for further instructions”. | 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”. |
| They were named as Mahir al-H, 17, Ibrahim M, 18, and Mohamed A, 18, with their surnames redacted according to German privacy laws. | They were named as Mahir al-H, 17, Ibrahim M, 18, and Mohamed A, 18, with their surnames redacted according to German privacy laws. |
| “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. | “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. |
| Thomas de Maiziere, the German interior minister, said the men could be part of a "sleeper cell" linked to the terrorists who carried out the Paris attacks in November. | |
| He said the suspects were carrying fake documents "from the same workshop in Syria" and were believed to have been sent to Europe by the same smuggling network as militants that killed 130 people in the French capital. | |
| The arrests were made during a series of raids involving 200 officers in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, with police searching the suspects' homes. | 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. | 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. | 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 attacks, including three carried out by asylum seekers, of which two were claimed 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. |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. |