Raid in North Rhine-Westphalia: 27-year-old arrested on suspicion of terrorism!

Raid in North Rhine-Westphalia: 27-year-old arrested on suspicion of terrorism!

There were large-scale raids in North Rhine-Westphalia in the early hours of the morning today, targeting urgent suspicions of Islamist terrorist attacks. According to reports from Deutschlandfunk and Yahoo News Several residential and business premises in the cities of Essen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf and Soest were searched. The measure took place as part of an investigation led by the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor's Office and the Essen police.

As part of these raids, a 27-year-old man with Bosnian-Herzegovinian nationality was arrested. He is suspected of having committed commercial fraud in order to obtain funds for a planned terrorist attack. It is reported that he had long been in the focus of security authorities, who were closely monitoring his activities. The arrest coincided with a phase in which his plans to obtain weapons became more concrete.

Plans to attack larger crowds

The suspect planned to carry out an attack on a large gathering of people in the Rhineland, using, among other things, a vehicle, knives and firearms. Investigations to date show that at least five-figure sums were made with the funds obtained through the purchase and resale of high-priced electrical appliances that were ordered but never paid for. Another 22-year-old man in Dortmund is also being investigated on suspicion of fraud.

The authorities deemed the raids necessary in order to avert a possible threat to public safety in a timely manner. North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert (CDU) emphasized that the police's quick action prevented potentially serious terrorist activities. The arrested man is to be brought before an investigating judge today.

Radicalization tendencies under the radar

This situation is in the context of a current research report on the subject of radicalization, which points to the increasing risks of extremism in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the network “Connecting Research on Extremism in North Rhine-Westphalia” (CoRE-NRW), developments in recent years, for example as a result of the corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine, reveal a high potential for radicalization in various social groups. The study shows that susceptibility to extremist ideologies increases, particularly in times of crisis.

In summary, this incident shows once again how urgent and important it is to focus more sharply on the issues of radicalization and extremism. The evidence of possible connections between commercial fraud and terrorist financing makes it clear that we are dealing with a complex problem that also requires a response from society as a whole.