The public prosecution in the German city of Frankfurt accused a Syrian former PhD student of suspected links to terrorism, 11 months after arresting him.
Prosecutor Alexander Badle said Tuesday that the 37-year-old Syrian is accused of promoting a foreign terrorist group, plotting acts of violence that threaten the security of the country, inciting hatred and attempting blackmail.
Press spokesman for the Darmstadt University of Technology said that the detained Syrian national was admired by his colleagues at the university and he showed no sign of having any relation with ISIS during the whole period of his studies.
The university expelled that Syrian PhD student after the reasons that led the police to arrest him in February 2017 were revealed.
The man posted a video on social media between July and December 2016 in which he urged support for ISIS and attempted to recruit new members to the group.
His colleagues in the Mathematics department were able to identify him in the Facebook video and informed the Darmstadt police about his activity.
The police raided his home and office and confiscated terrorism data he had saved. Investigators found manuals for making gun silencers, explosives and detonators. The Public Prosecution issued an arrest warrant against him and he has since remained under investigation.
According to the minutes of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the man has been keeping on his computer since 2014 information about making bombs. He also managed to obtain a silencer, perhaps with the intention of using it later.
While in prison, the man tried to recruit a fellow inmate to carry out a bomb attack, claiming funds would be provided. However, the prisoner told the police about the incident.
