The two men, 23 and 30 years old, were led in handcuffs, guarded by several police officers. On the first day of the trial, they chose not to say anything about the allegations against them.
Both are Afghan citizens and, according to the prosecutor, have ties to IS Khorasan, the 30-year-old as a member and the 23-year-old as a sympathizer.
According to the prosecution, they had close contact with people from the terrorist group to carry out an attack on the Swedish parliament as revenge for the Quran burnings. At least ten people would die, and the men were themselves prepared to die as martyrs.
As evidence, conversations on Telegram and searches for Stockholm, how to get there, and where to stay overnight are presented.
The Men Remain Silent
The men themselves largely chose to remain silent. The 30-year-old briefly told about his life in good German. He left Afghanistan at the age of 13 to work in agriculture in Iran, lived for several years in the Netherlands before returning to Afghanistan. In 2015, he fled with his sister and ended up in Germany, where he now has a family and a job.
However, he will comment on the allegations against him at a later trial date, said his lawyer.
The younger one said nothing more than his name, date of birth, and place of birth.
The two were arrested in the city of Gera in March in a raid by the special task force, following a decision by Germany's Federal Prosecutor Jens Rommel. They had been under surveillance for a long time, reports public service company MDR.
Acquiring Weapons
The men have tried to obtain weapons in various ways without success, both in Germany and abroad.
In September 2023, the intelligence service followed them to a market in the Czech Republic where weapons were being traded. On the way back, they were stopped by the police, who found a knuckle iron in the car and confiscated the men's mobile phones.
In the phones, investigators found detailed communication about the suspected IS contacts, attack plans, and traces to Iran.
In a written comment to TT, Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) describes IS and regional organizations such as IS Khorasan as strongly contributing to the threat situation in Germany, as they have sympathizers who potentially pose a security threat.
The trial is scheduled to continue until the end of January 2025.
Corrected: In an earlier version of the text, the wrong country was stated as the destination where the suspects went to find a market with weapons.
