BERLIN — German authorities have arrested three Syrian refugees with suspected ties to Islamic State in a series of pre-dawn operations on September 13.
The three men, Mahir al-H, 17, Mohamed A., 26 and Ibrahim M., 18, allegedly received fake passports, mobile phones with pre-installed communication programme and four-figure cash sums in US dollars from ISIS. The 17-year-old is said to have received trainings in Raqqa, ISIS stronghold in Syria.
The men travelled to Germany through Turkey and Greece. They were arrested in refugee shelters in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.
German authorities said the three might not have received concrete missions from ISIS so far and they could be a unit of ‘sleeper cell’ that remain dormant until further instructions.
According to the BBC, the men entered Europe with the help of the same organization that trafficked the three suicide bombers outside the Stade de France national football stadium in Paris on November 13, last year.
