With searches in several federal states, investigators have taken action against the Islamist scene, who are said to have supported the "Islamic State" to a considerable extent. According to information from the F.A.Z., the proceedings involve an international donation network that is said to have collected funds for the terrorist organization.

Katharina Iskandar

Editor responsible for the "Rhein-Main" section of the Sonntagszeitung.

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More than a dozen objects alone were reportedly searched in Hesse. Several cities and districts were affected. The accused are said to be well-known people from the Islamist scene who have been known to state security for many years.

For some time now, the security authorities have been observing a resurgence of the Islamist scene. Only two months ago, the president of the Hessian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Bernd Neumann, warned in an interview with the F.A.Z. that Islamism is currently the greatest danger after right-wing extremism. "What we have experienced in the past two or three years has been something like a deceptive calm."

"Increased agitation"

Since the end of last year, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has noted "increased agitation, especially with regard to the proselytizing activities of Islamists." At first glance, the appearance of local Islamists appears to be non-violent. "But this proselytizing can ultimately prepare the breeding ground for violent jihadists." Islamists tried to gain followers through the virtual world. "These are sometimes very well-made, multilingual appearances in various channels of the Internet, which are intended to appeal to younger people in particular. What worries us so much about this is that the extremists seem to succeed in recruiting them again and again. We are noticing, especially among younger Islamists, that radicalization has indeed taken place via the Internet," Neumann continued.

It was only at the beginning of March that Hessian investigators arrested an 18-year-old man from the Hochtaunus district, who is said to have planned a terrorist attack in Frankfurt. According to the report, he had searched the net for "unconventional explosive devices" and obtained a "long stabbing weapon". In his apartment, the police finally found pictures related to the "Islamic State". When the eighteen-year-old wanted to travel to Iraq to join ISIS, he was arrested.

A suspected Islamist-motivated act of violence occurred a few weeks ago in Duisburg. A Syrian is suspected of having inflicted a significant number of stab and cut wounds on the night of Easter Sunday to a 35-year-old man. He died from the injuries. He then attacked four other men with a slashing and stabbing weapon in a gym and seriously injured them. The Federal Prosecutor General has taken over the investigation.