Germany: Many dangerous Islamists will soon be released again

The federal government does not know how many Islamists are in prison in Germany. A survey by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) shows that there are at least 131 - and many of them will be released soon.

The federal government has no overview of how many Islamists are imprisoned in Germany and when they will be released. After it became known that the attackers from Vienna and Dresden were already in prison, the Federal Ministry of Justice told FAZ that it only knew a number from June 2018. At that time, 136 Islamists were in custody nationwide, the time of their release was unknown. Terrorism researchers warn that Islamists will not become more harmless in detention. Many who have been convicted since 2010 will soon be released.

A survey by the FAZ among the justice ministries of the federal states has shown that at least 134 Islamists are still imprisoned nationwide. Some states only give a rough number, Hesse speaks of a "single-digit number in the upper range", and Thuringia of a "single-digit number". 13 other federal states give exact information. A particularly large number of Islamists are in custody in Bavaria, namely 31, and in North Rhine-Westphalia, namely 36.

Several states fear a data protection breach when they say when convicts will be released. Hesse states that several Islamists will be released between 2021 and 2025, while Saxony is due to be released in the coming months. In Saxony-Anhalt, two will be released in 2021. Saarland will release three by 2022. Five will be released in Baden-Württemberg by 2023. In Bavaria, six will leave prison by 2024. “Our goal in the Bavarian prison is to prevent the radicalization of prisoners and to deradicalize extremists. That is why there is a wide range of repressive, but also preventive measures, ”said Bavaria's Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich.

Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine