Germany arrests woman accused of helping Islamic State group

Berlin, August 30

A German woman was arrested on Monday on suspicion of helping the Islamic State group by backing efforts to transfer money to militants, prosecutors said.

The suspect, identified only as Denise S., was arrested in Geretsried, near Munich and faces possible charges of supporting a foreign terrorist organisation. She is accused of supporting Aymen A.-J., an Iraqi man who was arrested in Germany earlier this year.

Federal prosecutors said that the woman’s main job was to establish contact with female IS members and keep them up-to-date on upcoming money transfers.

She is accused of calling for donations for an IS member who was supposed to be freed from a Kurdish refugee camp, to enable her return to the extremist group, and of setting up an account to receive donations.

She also allegedly had Aymen A.-J. transfer 200 euros (USD 235) to an IS member in Idlib, Syria.

Aymen A.-J. is accused of transferring at least USD 12,000 to Syria and Lebanon between June and September 2020 to help IS fighters. Prosecutors say he was arrested at the German-Swiss border in January as he left to leave the country to fight for IS in Syria or Africa. AP