German authorities arrested suspected Libyan extremist

German authorities have arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of being part of a Libyan extremist group and extorting money through kidnappings, officials said Friday.

Federal prosecutors said the man, a Libyan citizen identified only as Ahmed B. for privacy reasons, was detained in the eastern city of Dresden on Thursday. A judge ordered him held in custody Friday.

Prosecutors said the man is suspected of having joined the Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room, or LROR, by 2016 at the latest. The group initially fought against the forces of Gen. Khalifa Hifter but later joined with his Libyan National Army against the U.N.-backed transition government, they said.

Federal prosecutors allege that the group, which is deemed a foreign terrorist organization by Germany, continues to have an “Islamist-revolutionary” agenda.

The suspect is accused of having commanded a military unit and of illegally obtaining money for the group.

After moving to Germany the suspect is alleged to have passed information on Libyans in the country to LROR. The information was allegedly used to kidnap relatives of Libyans living in Germany and demand ransoms for their release.

Source: AP News