Germany

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities have arrested four Iraqis suspected of membership in the Islamic State group, including one who is alleged to have carried out attacks that killed and wounded U.S. troops, officials said Thursday. The men were arrested Wednesday in the western cities of Dortmund and Bottrop, and Amberg-Sulzbach county in Bavaria, the federal prosecutors’ office said in a statement.Among those arrested was Mohammed Rafea Yaseen Y., who is suspected of joining the Islamic State of Iraq group in his western hometown of Rutba in 2006. The 27-year-old Iraqi, whose surname wasn’t provided due to German privacy rules, allegedly helped make improvised explosive devices and used them to carry out 12 attacks around Rutba between 2006 and 2008, prosecutors said. U.S. troops were killed or wounded in the first 10 attacks, while Iraqi security forces and civilians were killed in the other two, according to the prosecutors’ statement. Markus Schmitt, a … [Read more...] about Germany Arrests Four Islamic State Suspects, One Iraqi Migrant Killed U.S. Troops

Merkel hopes there will be no need for the EU to implem­ent retali­atory measur­es in its trade disput­e with the US 0SHARES Share Tweet Email Recommended Stories Trump on Syria strikes: 'Mission Accomplished!'Germany backs 'necessary and appropriate' strikes in Syria, Merkel saysGerman Muslim groups ask for support after mosque attacksThis year had seen 27 attacks on Islamic houses of worship so far Knife man kills baby, ex-wife in German train station33-year-old suspect initially ran off but then phoned police, who arrested him … [Read more...] about Germany’s Merkel laments fraying of multilateral order

Polish President Andrzej Duda raised alarms Tuesday at the White House to the danger of a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that President Donald Trump alerted to at a summer NATO summit. President Duda voiced concerns about Russian energy dominance in Europe during Tuesday’s joint press conference with President Trump at the White House.“The biggest threat right now is posed by the construction of Nord Stream II gas pipeline,” said Duda, referring to the natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that Trump alerted NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to in their first meeting at this summer’s NATO summit. The remarks shook up the summit, and Trump later brought his concerns to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a private summit meeting. Duda said he and Trump discussed energy security “at length” in their Tuesday White House meeting ahead of the press conference. He called it unfortunate that Germany and Russia have already begun construction … [Read more...] about Polish President Backs Trump Warning NATO of Russia-Germany Pipeline

(UPI) — Anti-Nazi vandals scraped a swastika off of an old church bell in a small town in Germany. The bell has hung in a church in Schweringen, located in the northwest Germany, since 1934. And sometime over Easter, the swastika was scraped off.In a letter published in local newspaper Die Harke, the vandals explained their motive. “We did spring cleaning,” the note said in German, according to a translation by the BBC. “Not only the village cleaned, but also the bell. Of pigeon dung, of the filth of the National Socialists, who still threatened after 80 years to divide the village population, and hopefully also of the dirt that might have been thrown off about Schweringen.”Although the swastika has been on the bell for decades, it apparently didn’t set off any controversy until last September, when some people voiced opposition to having it in the town’s church. The parish council then voted to remove the bell. According to EuroNews, the … [Read more...] about ‘Spring Cleaners’ Scrape Swastika Off Church Bell in Germany

World Germany A person drove their car into a crowd of people in the German city of Münster on Saturday, causing multiple fatalities and injuries, according to authorities.  "There are deaths and injuries," the Münster police department tweeted. "Please avoid the area." In a follow-up tweet, the department said they believed multiple people to be dead.  Emergency responders were on the scene, police said. Authorities urged people to avoid the area and to avoid spreading misinformation and rumors.  Recommended Slideshows 51 In Pictures: The 50 Most Powerful Military Forces in the World 44 In Pictures: Every U.S. President Ranked From Best to Worst 51 In Pictures: Top 50 U.S. Cities Ranked by Quality of Life And Average Salary Pictures of the incident appear to show the patio of a restaurant completely demolished. The BBC reported that at least 30 people were injured and that the driver of the car had killed himself.  This story … [Read more...] about Several Fatalities Reported In Germany After Car Drives Into Crowd of People