Citing German prosecutors, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, reported yesterday that seven have been detained in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on suspicion of forming an Islamist terrorist cell.  They are also alleged to have supported the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

According to Radio Ozodi, five of them are Tajikistanis who were identified as Muhammadshujo A., Nouriddin K., Shamshod N., Said S., and Rabboni Z.  Two others are Turkmen citizen Ata A. and Kyrgyz citizen Abrorjon K.

Prosecutors said the men entered the country together shortly after the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 with the aim of "carrying out high-profile Islamic State-style terror attacks in Germany."

Dutch authorities on Thursday arrested two additional suspects connected to the group, a 29-year-old man from Tajikistan and his 31-year-old Kyrgyz wife, who had resided in the Netherlands since 2022.  They reportedly also arrived in the Netherlands from Ukraine in the spring of 2022.     

AFP, citing a statement by the German federal prosecutor's office (GBA), reported yesterday that German police on Thursday arrested seven men for allegedly planning a terrorist attack in the country inspired by the Islamic State (IS) group.  The men from Central Asia had reportedly known each other for some time and share a radical Islamic ideology.

The seven, along with another suspect arrested in the Netherlands, formed a cell in June 2022 "with the objective to commit headline-grabbing terrorist attacks in the spirit of IS," GBA was cited as saying.

According to AFP, the men included five citizens of Turkmenistan, one from Tajikistan and another from Kyrgyzstan.  

With the exception of the Kyrgyz suspect, prosecutors accused the men of "collecting funds for IS since April 2022" to be sent to the organization abroad.

Citing a statement by Dutch prosecutors, Reuters reported yesterday that the man detained in the Netherlands is suspected of being an Islamic State member and receiving the order to plot an attack, although plans were not yet concrete.

The Netherlands Public Prosecution Service said yesterday the Dutch police tracked the suspects down after information was released by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). The police investigation has led to the suspicion that the man is a member of IS and that he was given the order to plot a terrorist attack.  Although the plans were not yet concrete, they were serious enough for the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service to intervene.

During the investigation, the Dutch law enforcement agencies reportedly cooperated with their German counterparts, because the suspect was in contact with several persons residing in Germany.  

The two Dutch suspects will be brought before the investigative judge in Rotterdam on Friday 7 July. The suspects are held in pre-trial detention and are only allowed to be in contact with their lawyers, according to the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service.