More than 180 terror suspects under investigation in Germany after Isis plot to attack Düsseldorf

The justice ministry said they were being investigated for allegedly supporting terror organisations in Syria

Dusseldorf police on patrol (Getty)

More than 180 terror suspects with alleged links to extremist groups in Syria are being investigated in Germany after the discovery of an Isis plot to attack one of its largest cities.

A spokesperson for the justice ministry in Berlin said the federal prosecutor was conducting 120 investigations into more than 180 suspects and defendants “in connection with the Syrian civil war for their membership or support of a terrorist organisation”.

Three men have been arrested this week for allegedly plotting an attack in Düsseldorf after being deployed by Isis leaders in Syria.


 The men were reportedly deployed from the Isis territories in Syria by the group's leaders 
 (AP)

A fourth member of the cell confessed to authorities in France, saying they were planning to launch suicide bombings in central Düsseldorf and then shoot has many people as possible, in a similar format to the Paris attacks.

Local media reports said the Syrian suspects were detained at accommodation for asylum seekers in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Baden-Württemberg, fuelling concerns about the possibility of extremists slipping into the country undetected.

Rainer Wendt, head of the German Police Trade Union, cautioned against casting suspicion on more than one million asylum seekers who have arrived in Germany during the refugee crisis.

The past year has seen anti-immigration parties enjoy unprecedented success in local elections, thousands of people join anti-refugee marches across the country, arson attacks on migrant accomodation and the emergence of vigilante groups.

“We know since the attacks of Paris and Brussels that the Islamic State wants to influence the migration debate in Europe and to whip up sentiment against refugees,” he told Reuters.

“This is part of their strategy. We must not fall into their trap.”

The federal prosecutor’s office said three of the suspects journeyed into Europe from Syria via Turkey and Greece – the dominant refugee route for those arriving in Germany – but a spokesperson said he was unable to confirm their legal status when The Independent asked if they had lodged asylum applications.

A spokesperson for the German interior ministry said it was too early to make a “fundamental reassessment” about the seriousness of the threat but that the national security alert remained high.

Johannes Dimroth said there 499 potential Islamist extremists under observation in Germany but did not give further information on their nationalities.

The four suspects, Hamza C, Mahood B, Abd Arahman AK and Saleh A remain in custody.