Suspected ISIS recruiter pretending to be journalist detained in Germany

A young Syrian man, living in the state of Saxony, distributed videos of tortures and murders, as well as ISIS propaganda materials to his followers on social media in an attempt to recruit them to the terrorist group.

An elite special forces unit of the German police has detained 22-year-old Syrian Esmail A. A., suspected of being a member of the Daesh* terror group, in Saxony’s town of Plauen on an arrest warrant requested by the Federal Prosecution Office. The man allegedly recruited new Daesh members or supporters of the terrorist organization in at least two episodes.

According to the prosecution, the suspected member of the foreign terrorist organization had been posting Daesh propaganda materials, including torture scenes and executions of prisoners, as well as his own beliefs, on publicly accessible chat groups of the messenger service WhatsApp since September 2017.

The Syrian described himself as a “media worker” and administrator of the groups, which he described as part of a “news agency.” Two publications contained concrete instructions on how to join Daesh.

The suspect is to come before the Federal Court of Justice, which will decide on his pre-trial detention.

Moreover, the apartment of a 36-year-old Syrian woman in the state capital of Dresden was searched in connection with the investigation. The woman was suspected of supporting the terrorist organization and helping recruit members, but was eventually released.

Source: Sputnik