Two Men Charged in Germany for Alleged IS Plot in Sweden

Two Afghan men, Ibrahim M.G. and Ramin N., have been charged in Germany for planning an attack in Sweden linked to the Islamic State as a response to Quran burnings. The men, arrested in March, allegedly sought to kill police officers and others near the Swedish Parliament. They were charged with conspiring to commit a crime and violating export laws.

Two men accused of planning an attack in Sweden for an affiliate of the Islamic State group in response to the burning of copies of the Quran have been charged in Germany, according to prosecutors on Wednesday.

The two Afghan citizens, identified as Ibrahim M.G. and Ramin N. due to German privacy rules, were charged with conspiring to commit a crime and violating export laws. Additionally, Ibrahim M.G. was charged with membership in a terrorist organization, while Ramin N. faced charges of supporting one.

The men were detained on March 19 near Gera in eastern Germany. Federal prosecutors stated they filed the indictment on August 12 to the state court in Jena, which will determine the trial's proceedings.

According to prosecutors, Ibrahim M.G. joined an ISIS affiliate, IS-K, in August 2023, which has been responsible for numerous attacks in Afghanistan and beyond. Before this, the suspects raised approximately 2,000 euros ($2,220) in Germany for IS.

Prosecutors claimed that in the summer of last year, the IS affiliate tasked Ibrahim M.G. with launching an attack in Europe as a reaction to Quran burnings in Sweden. The suspects aimed to kill police officers and others near the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm using firearms, and made specific preparations in consultation with group members.

It was revealed that the men conducted online research on the location but repeatedly failed to procure weapons.