German prosecutors charge five for raising €250,000 for Islamic State

DPA
·2 min read
The waters of the Weisse Elster river have risen sharply. The flood situation is not expected to ease until the next few days. (Photo taken with a drone) Bodo Schackow/dpa
The waters of the Weisse Elster river have risen sharply. The flood situation is not expected to ease until the next few days. (Photo taken with a drone) Bodo Schackow/dpa

Five suspected supporters of the Islamic State are facing charges in Germany after they raised more than €250,000 ($278,000) in donations for the terrorist group, federal prosecutors said.

Prosecutors brought the three women and two men before the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court on charges of supporting a foreign terrorist organization and violating the Foreign Trade and Payments Act. All but one of the suspects are German nationals.

The court has yet to decide if the case will go to trial.

The Office of the Federal Prosecutor in Karlsruhe, the country's highest prosecution authority, on Thursday accused the suspects of collecting money on behalf of two Islamic State members living in Syria from 2020 to 2022. The funds were transferred through intermediaries.

Appeals for donations were made via Telegram. The proceeds were to be used to secure the release of Islamic State members imprisoned in the Al-Hol and Roj camps in northern Syria. The camps primarily house the wives and other adult female relatives of male fighters.

The prosecutors said the money was intended to help detainees escape or be smuggled out of the camps.

A regional train runs on a rail embankment that is completely surrounded by water. Andreas Arnold/dpa
A regional train runs on a rail embankment that is completely surrounded by water. Andreas Arnold/dpa
A slide stands in the high water of the Elbe. The flood situation in Saxony remains tense, especially on the Elbe. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
A slide stands in the high water of the Elbe. The flood situation in Saxony remains tense, especially on the Elbe. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
A cyclist stands on a flooded road after the flood of the Elbe River. The flood situation in Saxony remains tense, especially along the Elbe. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
A cyclist stands on a flooded road after the flood of the Elbe River. The flood situation in Saxony remains tense, especially along the Elbe. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
The Lahn near Wetzlar - the flood situation in Hesse is currently easing as a result of the decreasing rainfall. The heavy rainfall of the past few days has caused the Lahn to overflow its banks, closed roads have now been reopened, but rain is expected again in the next few days. Helmut Fricke/dpa
The Lahn near Wetzlar - the flood situation in Hesse is currently easing as a result of the decreasing rainfall. The heavy rainfall of the past few days has caused the Lahn to overflow its banks, closed roads have now been reopened, but rain is expected again in the next few days. Helmut Fricke/dpa
The Elbe floods against the backdrop of the old town at sunrise. The flood situation in Saxony remains tense, especially on the Elbe. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
The Elbe floods against the backdrop of the old town at sunrise. The flood situation in Saxony remains tense, especially on the Elbe. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
Volunteer firefighters are driven over a flooded road with a wheel loader not far from the Aller. The flood situation remains tense in many regions of Lower Saxony. Philipp Schulze/dpa
Volunteer firefighters are driven over a flooded road with a wheel loader not far from the Aller. The flood situation remains tense in many regions of Lower Saxony. Philipp Schulze/dpa
Emergency services from the THW and fire department stand at a pump. The flood situation remains tense in many regions of Lower Saxony. Philipp Schulze/dpa
Emergency services from the THW and fire department stand at a pump. The flood situation remains tense in many regions of Lower Saxony. Philipp Schulze/dpa