Risky Business: Inside the GSG-9’s Successful Takedown of a Domestic Terrorist Organization Inspired by ISIS in Düsseldorf, Germany

In Düsseldorf, Germany, seven terror suspects have been charged by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. The suspects, who were inspired by the “Islamic State,” had already acquired weapons and were planning attacks in multiple locations across Germany.

The GSG-9 accessed the terrorist cell and made arrests in both Germany and the Netherlands. The suspects are accused of forming a domestic terrorist organization with support from a foreign terrorist organization, as well as violating the Foreign Trade Act.

The group, which held radical Islamic views, entered Germany from Ukraine around the start of the war in spring 2022. They formed a terrorist organization to carry out attacks in Germany and other Western European countries.

The suspects had contact with members of the regional IS branch “Islamic State Khorasan Province” and regularly met to plan attacks and scout out potential targets in Germany. They also collected money for the IS organization and transferred funds to terrorists abroad. However, law enforcement agencies intervened before any attacks could take place.