عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

German Police Bust Gang Suspected of Smuggling Syrians

Syrian refugees arrive at the camp for refugees and migrants in Friedland, Germany April 4, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Syrian refugees arrive at the camp for refugees and migrants in Friedland, Germany April 4, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
TT
20
TT

German Police Bust Gang Suspected of Smuggling Syrians

Syrian refugees arrive at the camp for refugees and migrants in Friedland, Germany April 4, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Syrian refugees arrive at the camp for refugees and migrants in Friedland, Germany April 4, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

German police arrested 19 people believed to be Syrian, Lebanese, and Libyan on suspicion of smuggling migrants into Germany, mostly from Syria.

Prosecutors in the southern state of Bavaria said the suspects, aged between 21 and 44, were a professional gang who brought migrants to Germany in vans using the so-called Balkan route from Turkey and Greece to Austria.

The suspected smugglers, who face charges of human trafficking, had since at least April 2019 brought to Germany about 140 migrants in exchange for large sums of money, the prosecutors said.

Germany is home to more than 800,000 Syrians who fled the civil war in their country. Their numbers peaked in 2015, when a record of one million people entered Germany seeking asylum.

Thousands of Syrian live in refugee camps in Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon, where many dream of a new life in Europe, making those who have money easy prey for smugglers.

Federal police discovered the gang in August 2019 when smugglers driving migrants in vans were arrested on a highway in the south on the border with Austria.

Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Netherlands, and Belgium as well as Europol were involved in an investigation that led to the arrest of the gang's chief in Austria in December. Germany is seeking his extradition.

More than 400 police officers and investigators took part in Tuesday's raids in the German states of Berlin, Lower Saxony, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Suspected US Strikes Pummel Houthi-controlled Areas of Yemen

Smoke rises over buildings following US airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen, early 27 March 2025. EPA/OSAMAH YAHYA
Smoke rises over buildings following US airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen, early 27 March 2025. EPA/OSAMAH YAHYA
TT
20
TT

Suspected US Strikes Pummel Houthi-controlled Areas of Yemen

Smoke rises over buildings following US airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen, early 27 March 2025. EPA/OSAMAH YAHYA
Smoke rises over buildings following US airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen, early 27 March 2025. EPA/OSAMAH YAHYA

Suspected US airstrikes pummeled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi group early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa.

The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn't immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15.

An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more extensive than those under former President Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.

Initial reports from the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency referenced only one person being hurt in the attacks Friday in Sanaa, Yemen's capital that the group has held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the group’s stronghold of Saada and in Yemen's al-Jawf and Amran governorates.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what at those sites had been targeted, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and military traffic. Neighborhoods in the capital also are home to military and intelligence service sites — as well as crowded with civilians.

Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. The Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news network described communication networks going down after the attacks.

The US military's Central Command, which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. The command, which under Biden offered details on individual strikes, has not provided that information in this campaign.

The campaign of airstrikes targeting the Houthis, which killed at least 57 people immediately after they began March 15, started after the group threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The group in the past has had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.

The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.

The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war that has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.