Baden-Württemberg Special forces stop terror suspects at German airports
German special forces at Hanover and Stuttgart airports have prevented the departure to Syria of two men from northern Hesse who are accused of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state.
16.01.2026, 10:45
SDA
The two German nationals "with links to the Islamist scene" are now in custody in Frankfurt am Main, according to the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office and the Hessian State Office of Criminal Investigation.
Special forces prevented the 27-year-old and the 18-year-old from leaving the country on Thursday. In addition to Hessian authorities, the federal police and investigators from North Rhine-Westphalia were also involved in the investigation.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the suspicion that the two wanted to be trained in Syria for combat operations abroad became more concrete.
During searches of the two men's homes in Kassel and the Kassel district, investigators found, among other things, a crossbow without bolts and brochures relating to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia.
"There was no specific threat to the population at any time," said spokesman Dominik Mies.
