September 4, 2007: Terror suspects being brought to a helicopter after their presentation at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, southern Germany.
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But with this case, Germans are suddenly faced with the possibility that homegrown, militant Muslim converts could be hiding within German society. Gelowicz, the suspect identified as being the group's leader, is from Ulm, in southern Germany, where authorities say he regularly visited the city's Islamic Information Centre after converting to Islam as a teenager. (Police raided the center's offices in 2007 and confiscated materials they believe may have been used to radicalize young Muslims; in statements released after the raid, the center denied having any connection to extremists or terrorists and has since decided to shut its doors.) Another suspect, Schneider, was also a teen Muslim convert and comes from the town of Neunkirchen, near the French border.
According to some estimates, there are up to 30,000 Islamic extremists currently living in Germany. Counter-terrorism experts say that among those is a smaller, hardcore group bent on violence. "There are a few hundred jihadists in Germany who are committed to the al-Qaeda ideology," says Guido Steinberg, an analyst at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. "Many are still unknown to the German authorities — some are in Pakistan, where they've joined al-Qaeda and other groups. There is an international German jihadist network and that's a new challenge for the authorities."
This most recent alleged bomb plot has put the spotlight on the Islamic Jihad Union, up until now a little-known terrorist group with close links to al-Qaeda. According to counter-terrorism experts, the IJU was set up in 2002 after some members split from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. In 2004, the IJU claimed responsibility for suicide attacks on the Israeli and U.S. embassies in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, causing dozens of casualties, but, experts say, the group has recently focused its attention on Afghanistan.
With 3,800 troops serving as part of the NATO-led force, and an additional 600 soldiers on the way, Germany has the third biggest contingent in Afghanistan, behind the U.S. and Britain. That's why, experts warn, Germany remains a primary target for jihadist extremists. "The Islamic Jihad Union does exist — it's active in Pakistan and it wants to hit German targets, either in Afghanistan or in Germany, because members of the IJU clearly want Germany to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan," says Steinberg.
Regardless of how this trial turns out, Germany is now forced to face the question of whether young Germans are being radicalized at home. The case is a wake-up call for the country, signaling a new, invisible frontline in Germany's struggle against terrorism.