German woman arrested on suspicion of helping ISIS

Her main job was to tell female members of terrorist group about expected money transfers, prosecutors say

Denise S is accused of calling for donations for an ISIS member who was supposed to be freed from a Kurdish refugee camp. AFP

A German woman has been arrested on suspicion of helping ISIS by backing efforts to transfer money to militants, prosecutors said.

The woman, identified only as Denise S, was arrested in Geretsried, near Munich, on Monday and faces possible charges of supporting a foreign terrorist organisation.

She is accused of supporting Aymen A J, an Iraqi man who was arrested in Germany this year.

Federal prosecutors said the woman’s main job was to establish contact with female ISIS members and keep them up to date on upcoming money transfers.

She is accused of calling for donations for an ISIS member who was supposed to be freed from a Kurdish refugee camp, to enable her return to the extremist group, and of setting up an account to receive donations.

She allegedly had Aymen A J transfer €200 ($235) to an ISIS member in Idlib, Syria.

Aymen A J is accused of transferring at least $12,000 to Syria and Lebanon between June and September 2020 to help ISIS fighters.

Prosecutors said he was arrested at the German-Swiss border in January as he tried to leave the country to fight for ISIS in Syria or Africa.