On Tuesday, Germany and Switzerland announced that through joint efforts they
were able to detain four suspected ISIS members and supporters, includin





<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



ISIS Propagandist Among Four Arrested In German-Swiss Operation



(New York, N.Y.) — On Tuesday, Germany and Switzerland announced that through
joint efforts they were able todetain
<[link removed]>
four suspected ISIS members and supporters, including a suspect identified by
German officials as a would-be foreign fighter and propagandist for the
terrorist group. The suspect, Aleem N., allegedly attempted to travel to Syria
to fight for ISIS multiple times over the last two years. When his efforts
failed, Aleem N. instead translated ISIS propaganda into German and spread it
across a variety of online channels.



ISIS has made efforts to recruit using online propaganda, including videos and
magazines produced in a variety of languages. ISIS recruiters have also been
successful on social media platforms and encrypted messaging services such as
Telegram and WhatsApp. Recruiters are trained to guide and advise aspiring
foreign fighters and supporters about logistical issues—such as transportation
and finances—regarding the trek to Syria as well as instructions on how to
carry out domestic attacks on behalf of the terrorist group.



“Preventing would-be extremist foreign fighters and foreign terrorist fighters
from exiting their home countries to travel to war and conflict zones should
remain a priority, irrespective of their ideological motivation. If they gain
combat experience abroad, the combination of their violent ideology and their
newly acquired skills in the combat zone present serious long-term security
challenges once they return home. Complimentary to that effort is to reduce the
spread of online extremist propaganda. ISIS has an elaborate and effective
propaganda machine used in part to recruit followers, and I applaud the
authorities in charge of this operation. Their efforts will impede the spread
of extremist propaganda which in turn will reduce the number of aspiring
foreign fighters,” said Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Senior DirectorDr.
Hans-Jakob Schindler
<[link removed]>, the former
coordinator of the U.N. Security Council’s ISIL, Al-Qaida and Taliban
Monitoring Team.



According to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für
Verfassungsschutz (BfV),1,150
<[link removed]>
Germans have traveled to Syria or Iraq since 2011. Although most of the
foreign fighters that left Germany were male and under 30 at the time of
departure, around 25 percent were women. Of those that left, 2019 estimates
report that357
<[link removed]>
are believed to have returned to Germany. As ISIS continues to lose influence
across Iraq and Syria, the BfV expects this number of returnees to increase.



To read CEP’s resource Germany: Extremism and Terrorism, please click here
<[link removed]>.



To read CEP’s resource ISIS, please click here
<[link removed]>.



###





Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>