Four alleged members of a Daesh cell arrested in Germany

German police on Wednesday arrested four suspected members of a Daesh cell that allegedly had plans to attack the country, the attorney general's office said.

The four suspects, all Tajik nationals, were arrested early this morning in a coordinated operation in different locations in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia: Essen, Neuss, Siegen and Heinsberg. The leader of the cell, Ravsan B., also a 30-year-old Tajik, has been in custody since last year after the seizure of several weapons.

The prosecution reports that all five were linked to Daesh in January 2019, having had contact with, among others, a leader of the terrorist organisation in Syria and another operating in Afghanistan.

The investigation indicates that the group initially considered returning to Tajikistan to fight against the government, but eventually decided to stay in Germany and carry out attacks there.

Among the possible targets of this Islamist cell are US facilities in Germany and personalities critical of Islam. The detainees had also purchased components via the Internet that could be used to make explosive devices.