Born: 1974;

Place of Birth: Palestine;

Gender: Male;

Nationality: Palestinian;

General Info:
Ahmad Abul Baraa is a Palestinian jihadist and supporter of the terrorist movement al-Qaeda, who was accused of fraudulently seeking 18,000 euros from a bank in connection with the coronavirus crisis.

He is suspected of having used the situation of the corona crisis together with his partner to snatch a total of € 18,000 in funding from the Investitionsbank Berlin by misrepresenting the extent of a commercial activity while both actually received social benefits.

The authorities said that investigators seized money and electronic devices during a search of the rooms of the suspects as well as from a radical mosque in the district of Wedding.

The As-Sahaba mosque, where the Palestinian Abul Baraa preaches, has been the focus of intelligence surveillance due to its connections with the Islamic State.

The authorities wrote that whether the payments should also be used to implement projects for coronavirus crisis is the subject of ongoing investigations, which, however, due to the quick access, meant that the funds from the Investitionsbank Berlin could be completely secured.

Abul Baraa operated a shop within the mosque. In 2018, the police raided the mosque because Baraa was accused of sending money to an Islamist fighter in Syria “for purchasing military equipment to carry out terrorist criminal acts,” according to prosecutors.

Abul Barra said in an online video that “It is not allowed for women to walk on the streets just for fun.” According to a 2014 Die Welt article, he described the struggle of the al-Nusra Front, which is close to al-Qaida, against Syrian regime troops as “blessed jihad.”

Abul Barra termed the United States as “the true terrorists.” The paper said he showed sympathy for al-Qaeda.