German authorities announced the arrests early Wednesday morning of 4 suspected members of the ISIS terror group they believe were planning attacks on U.S. military bases in the country.
The four suspects were arrested by tactical police units in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, early on Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reported. German prosecutors described all four suspects as Tajikistan nationals and they were identified as Azizjon B., Muhammadali G., Farhodshoh K. and Sunatullokh K. The complete surnames of the suspects were not released by Germany authorities, citing privacy concerns.
German prosecutors allege the four men joined ISIS in January 2019 and were told to form an ISIS cell in Germany. Prosecutors say the four men initially planned to carry out attacks in Tajikistan, but eventually shifted their focus to U.S. Air Force bases in Germany, as well as to an individual target they deemed critical of Islam.
Prosecutors further allege the four men were led by another Tajik man, identified only as Ravsan B. who has been in prison since March 2019 on undisclosed charges. The group is also said to have been in contact with two high-ranking ISIS figures in Syria and Afghanistan.
The four men had reportedly obtained firearms and ammunition to carry out their attack at the time of their arrests, while Ravsan B. was in the process of ordering explosives for the attack.
The “cell already had live firearms and ammunition to carry out the attack plans. In addition, the accused Ravsan B. provided instructions for the manufacture of so-called unconventional explosive and fire devices (USBV). Some of the components required for this have already been acquired through internet mail order,” one prosecutor said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Ravsan B. allegedly planned to fund the attack by accepting a contract to assassinate someone in Albania, however, the plan failed.
All the suspects will be charged with membership in a terrorist organization.
