Four alleged Islamic State supporters on trial for terror offences are said to have been radicalised at the same mosque that was frequented by Berlin terror attacker Anis Amri.
The four Islamic radicals, aged 22 to 46 years old, attended the Fussilet mosque which was also visited by failed asylum seeker and terrorist Anis Amri. The men, one of German-Moroccan background, two Turks, and a German, are accused of plotting to travel to Syria to join the terror group, newspaper Berliner Kurier reports.
The group are said to have wanted to travel to Syria in 2016 and were joined by two others who have been prosecuted in separate trials. The 22-year-old defendant Abu Dharr is also accused of having tried to recruit newly arrived asylum seekers when he visited the asylum home in Berlin’s Moabit district.
Members of the German security services have warned of radical Islamic extremists recruiting in asylum homes since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015.
Another report claimed that asylum seekers made up more than half of all the suspects in terror plots in the wake of the crisis. The report, conducted by the U.S. Heritage Foundation, stated: “There were no plots in Germany in 2014, and only two in 2015. In 2016, this increased eightfold.
“There is a straightforward reason for this: In 2015, Germany took in over 1 million refugees and 2016 saw a surge in plots involving refugees.”
Investigators into the terror case discovered that the four jihadists had financed their attempted trip to Syria by fraudulently buying and selling mobile phones.
The group has been charged with support of a terrorist organisation, fraud, and preparing a serious act of violence against the state.
Last year, 1,000 preliminary investigations were launched against Islamic extremists last year but only two of those investigations have been brought to trial.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.