German authorities arrested three Syrians Tuesday, who set up an Islamic State sleeper cell deep in Germany and planned to launch attacks.
German law enforcement discovered the men had traveled to Germany via Turkey and Greece on fake passports, and noted they were carrying large amounts of U.S. cash, in addition to mobile phones with specific communication installed, BBC reports.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere commented that the men arrested, who were between the ages of 17 and 26, may have had links to the terrorists involved in the Paris attacks last November.
It’s believed that Mahir al-H, 17, Ibrahim M, 18 and Mohamed A, 26, received weapons and explosives training in Raqqa, Syria, the de facto capital of ISIS.
To find them, police descended on six total locations. Three of those places were refugee shelters. The men in question had already been under police surveillance weeks prior to the actual operation.
The arrests are unlikely to assure a worried and fearful German public that more refugee inflows into the country are a good idea. German intelligence services have said for countless months they have confirmation of ISIS refugee smuggling operations for the purpose of launching attacks in Europe.
In late July, an ISIS suicide bombing in Germany, which injured 15 people, traumatized the country again. A 27-year-old Syrian refugee launched the attack.
ISIS terror involvement in Germany has led to the dramatic rise of the Alternative for Germany political party, which is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds as German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to be savaged in the polls for her handling of the migrant crisis. Merkel has asked other parties to unite together to block AFD’s success.
AFD is hoping to take advantage of the Bundestag elections in late 2017 to become the first right-wing party to enter Parliament since 1945.
Follow Jonah Bennett on Twitter
Send tips to jonah@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.