Government & Politics

Asylum approvals almost always right, German review finds — report Nearly all decisions to grant migrants asylum in Germany were justified, officials found after reviewing some 62,000 claims, according to a newspaper report. Hundreds of officials work on reviewing old cases.

(Deutsche Welle) While reviewing successful asylum applications, German officials found that only a tiny minority of asylum-seekers provided false information or tried to trick the officials, according to official data cited by Süddeutsche Zeitung on Thursday. Germany’s migration agency, BAMF, looked into […]

Immigration

Italian soldier stabbed near Milan train station A man reportedly used a letter opener to injure a soldier on patrol in Milan, a day after attacking people with a pen. Other soldiers managed to subdue the suspect, who allegedly shouted 'Allahu Akbar' during the arrest.

(Deutsche Welle) Italian anti-terrorism officials are investigating a 23-year-old man suspected of stabbing an army corporal outside Milan’s main train station, Italian media reported on Tuesday. The suspect attacked the patrolling soldier from the back with a letter opener, causing the victim […]

Legal

Trial of trio accused of acquiring drone parts for IS starts today ‘Taxachaufføren,’ ‘Cykelhandleren’ and ‘Underviseren’ could be handed life imprisonment if additional terror charges stick

(Copenhagen Post) The long-awaited trial of three Danes charged with acquiring drone parts on behalf of Islamic State is scheduled to start today at Copenhagen City Court. Additionally they are charged with terrorism. It will be contended that the trio spent 400,000 […]

Clerics & Preachers

Muslim, Jewish leaders team up in ‘exemplary’ European initiative Imams and rabbis from across Europe are attending a summit in Italy organized by the Muslim Jewish Leadership Council. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and right-wing populism are all topics they'd like to address better.

(Deutsche Welle) Although the site is remote, it has plenty of symbolism: Beginning this Sunday, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders from some 15 countries will meet in the southern Italian city of Matera, one of Europe’s 2019 cultural capitals, to take part […]

Academics & Education

Greece: Students protest state-appointed Muslim cleric Students of Turkish minority school in Komotini prevent entrance of Greek-appointed mufti to school

(Anadolu) Students in a high school of Greece’s Turkish minority prevented the entrance of a Greek-appointed mufti (Muslim cleric) by calling him an “unwanted” person, according to local media. Western Thrace region of Greece is home to a Muslim-Turkish minority numbering around […]

Law Enforcement

Germany: Raids carried out against terror financing suspects Special police units carried out raids in northern Germany to investigate alleged financial supporters of terrorist groups in Syria. Prosecutors said hundreds of thousands of euros were allegedly sent to militants.

(Deutsche Welle) Police carried out raids in northern Germany to investigate alleged terrorist suspects in several cities on Wednesday morning, prosecutors said. A senior prosecutor for the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Ulrike Stahlmann-Liebelt, said the raids were to investigate the suspected formation of an organized […]

Government & Politics

German court rejects plea to repatriate suspected jihadi from Syria A German court has found the government isn't responsible for repatriating a citizen imprisoned by Syrian Kurds on suspicion of joining the 'Islamic State.' The ruling was based on a technicality.

(Deutsche Welle) The German government is not required to repatriate one of its citizens believed to be imprisoned by Syrian Kurdish forces on suspicion of being a member of the “Islamic State” (IS), a Berlin administrative court ruled Tuesday. The German national, […]

Law Enforcement

Widow of German IS rapper is arrested in Hamburg The German-Tunisian woman has been arrested just months after a cellphone provided fresh evidence about her time in Syria. She had married two IS fighters, one of whom was rapper-turned-extremist Denis Cuspert.

(Deutsche Welle) German authorities said on Monday that Omaima A., a German-Tunisian woman, was arrested in Hamburg last week for her ties to the “Islamic State” (IS). Omaima A. was once married to German rapper-turned-IS fighter Denis Cuspert, who is believed to have died […]