German anti-terrorist officers. An IS group terror cell was planning to attack U.S. bases in Germany. /Michael Sohn/AP
German authorities have arrested four suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group for allegedly planning to attack U.S. bases in the country.
Tactical police units captured the men in a series of raids early Wednesday at multiple locations in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, federal prosecutors said.
The Tajik nationals were identified as Azizjon B, Muhammadali G, Farhodshoh K and Sunatullokh K. The surnames were not made public for privacy reasons. The alleged ringleader, Ravsan B, aged 30 and a Tajik citizen, has been in prison since March 2019 on unspecified charges.
All suspects will be charged for being members of a terrorist organization.
According to the prosecutors' statement, the men joined the Islamic State group in January 2019 and were ordered to form a terror cell in Germany.
The U.S. Air Force has its Europe headquarters at Ramstein air base in southwestern Germany. /AP/DPA
The group reportedly planned to conduct an attack in Tajikistan but decided to target Germany instead, including U.S. Air Force installations and an individual they deemed critical of Islam.
The suspects were supposedly in touch with two high-ranking IS figures in Syria and Afghanistan and had already amassed weapons and ammunition to carry out the strike.
Ravsan B also sourced materials to make an explosive device. In order to finance the plan, he allegedly accepted a $40,000 contract to kill someone in Albania but the attempt failed.
German officials did not share details of the U.S. air bases that the men were targeting.
The U.S. has ten of thousands of military personnel in Germany, its second-biggest overseas deployment after Japan. The U.S. Air Force has its Europe headquarters at Ramstein air base in southwestern Germany.
Remember to sign up to Global Business Daily here to get our top headlines direct to your inbox every weekday