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Islamists in Germany fraudulently received €1 MILLION in Covid-19 aid,
some funds used to ‘direct terrorism financing’
14 Mar, 2021 13:42
FILE PHOTO. German police officers are pictured during a raid in Berlin. © Reuters / Hannibal Hanschke
Around €1 million in Covid-19 relief funds aimed at businesses might have ended up in the pockets of hardline Islamists, German media reported, citing sources in the Berlin police who opened more than 100 probes into the fraud.
The misuse of coronavirus aid to finance terrorist activities was reported by German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
“In individual cases there is a suspicion of direct terrorism financing,” a source within Berlin law enforcement told the newspaper.
According to the report, law enforcement in Germany’s capital is currently conducting over 100 investigations into potential misuse of coronavirus aid for terrorism funding. Some 60 individuals, as well as mosques and other Muslim associations, are being targeted by the inquiries.
The fraud may yield lengthy prison terms for perpetrators, ranging from five to 10 years behind bars in the most aggravated cases. The funds were originally intended to support businesses struggling with the pandemic and it was not immediately clear how the cash ended up in the hands of Islamist groups.
The misused funds are estimated to total around €1 million, while some €250,000 was seized by police during searches. In at least three cases the fraudulently procured funds were used to directly support terrorist groups active in the Middle East.
Members of the recently-outlawed hardline Islamist group Jama’atu Berlin are believed to have been among the recipients of the coronavirus relief funds. The group was targeted during a large-scale operation by Berlin police in late February.
Some 850 police officers were involved, raiding homes of the group members and other properties. The group was actively spreading hardline Salafist ideology online and was said to be especially hateful toward Jews.
Sri Lankan government moves to ban burqas, Muslim schools
By Christen McCurdy
Sri Lankan Muslim women wait in a queue for the COVID-19 blood test in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 4. On Friday the Sri Lankan government moved to ban the wearing of burqas, like the one being worn by the woman on the right, and to close Muslim schools in the country. Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA-EFE
March 13 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka's public security minister signed a cabinet order Friday seeking approval to ban burqas and other face coverings in public places.
Sarath Weerasekara told the BBC the order needs parliamentary approval to go into effect, but officials say they expect the ban to be implemented very soon.
Burqas are garments worn by some Muslim women. They cover the body and face.
Weerasekara cited national security concerns when announcing the proposed ban.
"In our early days, Muslim women and girls never wore the burqa," Weerasekara said at a news conference. "It is a sign of religious extremism that came about recently. We are definitely going to ban it."
Sri Lanka temporarily banned burqas in 2019 after the Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed more than 250 people at six locations, including three churches and three hotels.
The Islamic State claimed credit for the attacks shortly after they happened.
Weerasekara also said the government plans to close more than 1,000 Islamic schools in the country.
The proposals follow an order last year mandating the cremation of COVID-19 victims, over the objection of Muslims, who bury their dead. The United States and international rights groups criticized the order, which was lifted earlier this year.
Muslims make up about 9 percent of the 22 million people in Sri Lanka, where Buddhists make up the majority -- 75% -- of residents.
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