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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
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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.

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Iraqi Kurdistan: Assailant of Assyrian Celebration Attack Affiliated with ISIS

 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
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Iraqi Kurdistan: Assailant of Assyrian Celebration Attack Affiliated with ISIS

 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 

Authorities in Duhok, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, announced on Wednesday that the attack carried out by a Syrian national during a Christian celebration in the city was an “act of terrorism.”

On Tuesday, the attacker infiltrated a gathering of Syriac Christians celebrating the Akitu festival in central Duhok. He then pulled out an axe and attacked a young man, a 70-year-old woman, and a security officer.

Videos circulating on local media platforms showed a group of people apprehending the attacker, who was seen making hand gestures and shouting “Islamic State.” Shamon Shlimon, the deputy governor of Duhok, stated that initial investigations revealed the attacker was a Syrian national and that given the slogans he shouted, “it is clear that the attack was an act of terrorism.”

Later, security sources confirmed that the assailant admitted to police that he belonged to a terrorist organization.

The Kurdistan Regional Security Council later announced that the attacker was affiliated with an ISIS-linked group. In a press statement, the council said: “While the people of Duhok were celebrating Akitu, an individual holding extremist ISIS ideologies attacked citizens in the market with a sharp weapon.”

The Kurdistan Regional Presidency condemned the “criminal attack,” affirming that it would not tolerate any actions that undermine the culture of coexistence, acceptance, and tolerance.

In a statement on Wednesday, the presidency said it was “closely following” the investigation into the “criminal attack” in Duhok, assuring that the perpetrator will face legal consequences.

This is the first attack of its kind in Duhok. Chaldeans and Syriacs celebrate Babylonian-Assyrian New Year (Akitu) every April 1. During the recent attack, more than 8,000 people were present, half of whom were from outside the Kurdistan region, according to local reports.

The Akitu festival features celebrations, cultural and artistic events, and recreational activities, including traditional dances.