Interfaith

Germany arrests 3 suspected Hamas members Authorities said two Germans and one Lebanese national had procured weapons to be used in violent acts targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany.

(Deutsche Welle) Prosecutors in Berlin said they have arrested three suspected Hamas operatives. The suspects were preparing attacks on Israeli and Jewish institutions in Germany, authorities said. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by Germany, the EU, the US and several governments. The three […]

Government & Politics

German government nears deal with Taliban on deportations The German government is maintaining its tough stance on the deportation of rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan. Critics say promises made to former personnel now at risk of reprisals should be honored.

(Deutsche Welle) Despite strongly worded criticism from numerous aid organizations, the German government has now confirmed a report in the mass-circulation newspaper Bild that envoys of Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt are holding talks in Afghanistan with the ruling Islamist Taliban about deportations […]

Crime

German-Afghan relations under scrutiny over deportations The German government's policy of deporting Afghan criminals to Afghanistan relies on cooperation with the Taliban government in Kabul. The Islamists are hoping this is the first step toward diplomatic recognition.

(Deutsche Welle) “We have succeeded in organizing another deportation flight with convicted criminals to Afghanistan,” German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a press release on July 18, following the departure of a plane from Leipzig to Kabul with 81 Afghan men with […]

Government & Politics

German Cabinet approves stricter asylum measures The German government has proposed several new measures as it pushes on with plans to further curb irregular migration. This comes despite a legal setback this week when a court ruled pushbacks at the border unlawful.

(Deutsche Welle) The German Cabinet on Wednesday approved several measures to tighten Germany’s asylum laws, including a plan to make it easier to determine “safe countries of origin” and thus to deport rejected asylum-seekers. This comes after another policy put in place […]

Internet

Russians suspected of supporting IS on trial in Germany The trial of four Russian nationals accused of being part of the extremist 'Islamic State' begins in Hamburg on Monday. The suspects allegedly collected around €174,000 to send to IS members held in camps in Syria.

(Deutsche Welle) The charges against the four defendants, all Russian nationals, are serious. Appearing at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg on Monday, they will be facing accusations of being members of a foreign criminal organization and of supporting a foreign terrorist […]

Crime

Germany turns first asylum seekers away at border — report In the two days since the new German government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz tightened border controls, 19 people who had applied for asylum have reportedly been turned away.

(Deutsche Welle) Germany has begun rejecting asylum seekers at its borders with other European countries, the first such action since the new government tightened immigration, a German newspaper reported Sunday. On Thursday and Friday, out of 365 undocumented entries at all borders, 286 migrants and […]

Government & Politics

German government denies report on ‘national emergency’ plan to curb migration 'The chancellor is not declaring a national emergency,’ government spokesman Stefan Kornelius tells BILD newspaper

(Anadolu) The German government on Thursday denied a media report which said that Chancellor Friedrich Merz had declared a state of “national emergency” to restrict migration. “The chancellor is not declaring a national emergency,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius told the BILD newspaper. […]

Demonstrations

Hamburg ‘caliphate’ rally prompts calls for punishment German politicians have called for action after reports of a rally in which speakers demanded Shariah law in Germany. A leading Bavarian conservative said such appeals should lead to jail time and citizenship removal.

(Deutsche Welle) A top Bavarian politician on Wednesday demanded tougher consequences for people advocating for Germany to become a “caliphate,” saying they should face prison terms and lose citizenship. Alexander Dobrindt, who heads Bavaria’s conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) in Germany’s Bundestag, […]

Citizenship

Germany to strip ‘Islamic State’ fighters’ citizenship — report Germany's Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry have reportedly agreed on a proposal to expatriate IS fighters. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had tried to link the legislation with broader citizenship reform.

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s governing coalition has agreed to strip fighters of the “Islamic State” (IS) militant group of their citizenship, according to German outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR. The new law would apply only to jihadis who are of age, have a second […]