Three Germans have been arrested at Frankfurt international airport on suspicion of belonging to Somalian militant group al-Shabab. “All three men are German nationals and were detained after arriving from Kenya,” the Federal Prosecutor’s office told NBC News. In line with German privacy laws, prosecutors identified the men only as 26-year old Steven N., 28-year old Abdullah W. and 23-year old Abdulsalam W. The arrests were made Saturday and announced Monday.
The three traveled to Somalia in 2012 and 2013, where they are suspected of having received weapons training at terror camps before joining combat in the East African country, officials said in a statement. There was no evidence that the men “planned concrete attacks or had made preparations for an attack,” it added. The men could possibly be charged for “belonging to a foreign terrorist organization” and “preparing a seditious act of violence” under German law, said a security official who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity. Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab is designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. government.
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