A man suspected of being an ISIS "sleeper agent" has been arrested in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg shortly after security officials warned of the threat of an extremist attack during Euro 2024.
The man Mahmoud A., believed to be Iraqi, was detained in the town of Esslingen, near Stuttgart after being arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack. He is said to have gone to Germany in October 2022, but police believe to has been affiliated to ISIS since 2016.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the arrest showed Germany's commitment to eradicating the threat from ISIS saying: "Our security authorities are extremely vigilant, follow every tip-off and strike hard to protect our country."
At a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday, Germany's interior ministry had warned the country was "in the crosshairs of jihadist organisations, in particular ISIS and ISIS-K." Officials said the danger of Islamist terrorism had increased since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza.
Thomas Haldenwang, head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV), added: “A possible scenario is a large-scale, co-ordinated attack of the kind we recently saw in Moscow." He said that ISIS-K was “certainly the most dangerous group” and had succeeded in smuggling into western Europe among refugees fleeing Ukraine.
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Germany has deployed 22,000 police officers to reinforce security during Euro 2024 (Getty Images)The intelligence chief revealed the organisation had been urging its members to carry out mass terror attacks on "soft targets" in Europe. He also emphasised that so-called "lone wolves" continued to pose one of the biggest threats to public security. Germany has deployed 22,000 police officers to reinforce border, railway and airport security for the duration of the four-week tournament. Berlin has also drafted in officers from overseas, to help keep fans safe.
There is particular concern about "lone wolves" (Hendrik Schmidt/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)It comes as an ISIS-linked propaganda network, known for attempting to incite terror attacks on cities hosting Euro 2024, has been dismantled by authorities. Spanish police have conducted a series of arrests nationwide after discovering a multimedia service called I'LAM Foundation, said to be a mouthpiece of Islamic State. The platform is accused of calling for attacks on the Euros in Germany, as well as Real Madrid footballers and supporters and the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Police officers next to supporters ahead of the match between Turkey and Georgia (AFP via Getty Images)The posters, written in English, depicted an armed soldier with captions "Where do you want?" and "Score the final goal!" They hinted at three possible locations: Munich, Dortmund, and Berlin – the latter being the host city for the final on July 14.The extensive investigation, which included collaboration with Europol, the FBI and law enforcement agencies from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Estonia, Romania and Iceland, led to the arrest of nine individuals in Girona, Cadiz, Almeria, and Tenerife.
Investigators uncovered a wealth of other radical content in over 30 languages distributed by the I'LAM Foundation. The network reportedly even went as far as to provide specific instructions on how to launch an attack on the Real Madrid squad.
A police officer speaks to a Scotland fan in Cologne (PA)One chilling poster showed a hooded assailant with a scoped rifle and the message: "My dear Muwahhid brother. Wait at a place near the players' point of arrival. Target them along with their fans." Another poster, referring to the Bernabeu Stadium itself, ordered: "My dear brother in Al-Andalus. A very valuable target awaits you. Break into the crowds, distract security with improvised explosives and decoy devices, and advance towards your main target with determination."
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