Arrest of IS supporters in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein

After the arrest of two suspected supporters of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, the suspects have been remanded in custody. The investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe has executed the arrest warrants, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office announced. It accuses the two Russian nationals of being members of a criminal organization that raised funds for IS in Germany and other European countries.

The men are said to have joined the criminal group around two years ago, according to a statement from Germany's highest prosecuting authority on Thursday. The group had collected donations via social media in particular and sent the money to an IS member living abroad for forwarding. The money mainly benefited imprisoned women and IS fighters.

The federal prosecutor's office had the two men arrested on Thursday in the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg and in Hamburg. At the same time, seven properties were searched in Berlin, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony.