Germany authorities this morning arrested three Syrian men who are suspected of being sent by Daesh to carry out attacks in the country, prosecutors have said.
The BBC reported that the men – aged between 17 and 26 – were detained after a series of pre-dawn raids in the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.
Although “no concrete missions or orders have so far been found in the course of investigations carried out,” they were part of a “sleeper cell” sent by Daesh with the intention of “carrying out a previously determined order or to await further instructions”.
According to Reuters, German authorities searched the flats of the three suspects. No details were given about what was found.
The men – identified only as Mahir Al-H, 17, Ibrahim M, 18, and Mohamed A, 26 – are said to have travelled through Turkey and Greece on false passports.
Investigators believe they had volunteered for the alleged mission and that the 17-year-old had been trained in handling weapons and explosives in Raqqa, Daesh’s stronghold in Syria.
The men were arrested when 200 police and security officers raided six locations, including three refugee shelters.
German news agency DPA reported that the three men had been under surveillance for some months.