Data from investigations launched by the German federal prosecutor's office in the first half of 2025 show that 99 per cent of the proceedings were initiated against activities of Islamist or foreign extremist groups.

The proceedings related to Islamists predominantly concern crimes committed abroad, and are linked to the terrorist organisations Islamic State and the Taliban, with ties to Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan,

according to the report published by the German federal government. Between 1 January and 30 June 2025, the federal prosecutor launched a total of 146 proceedings. This information comes from the federal government’s written response to a question posed by Martin Hess, an internal affairs expert from the AfD party, as reported by nius.de.

Out of the 146 proceedings, 144 involve perpetrators with a migration background.

84 investigations were launched against Islamists in cases related to terrorism, while 60 proceedings were initiated against individuals linked to foreign extremist groups.

EXKLUSIV! Glaubt man Politikern von SPD, Grünen oder der Linkspartei, scheint die Sache klar: Die größte Gefahr in diesem Land stellt der Rechtsextremismus dar. Den Generalbundesanwalt beschäftigen jedoch zu 99 Prozent andere Ideologien. #NIUS https://t.co/r7nOtYleXk pic.twitter.com/C36LWwvjN0

— NIUS (@niusde_) July 21, 2025

The Perpetrators Are from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan in Most Cases

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the number of investigations has increased. Between 1 January and 14 June 2024, the prosecutor’s office launched 56 investigations related to foreign extremism and 51 concerning Islamist terrorism. Based on these figures, Martin Hess stated:

„Imported terrorism and imported extremism continue to pose by far the greatest threat to internal security. But instead of taking action, political leaders engage in ideologically motivated debates that focus almost exclusively on right-wing extremism, while downplaying or outright ignoring Islamist terrorism and foreign-linked extremism.”

NEW – 99% of the proceedings by Germany’s Federal Prosecutor General are being opened because of Islamist or foreign-related extremism in the first half of 2025. Most of the perpetrators come from Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan.https://t.co/lcFFacKKII

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 21, 2025

Islamists Pose a Threat to All of Europe

In both 2024 and the first half of 2025, German authorities pressed charges multiple times against individuals accused of planning or preparing terrorist acts linked to ISIS. These cases often involved young people who were radicalised online, established connections with terrorist organisations, and planned attacks at various locations across Europe.

One such case was when the German federal public prosecutor’s office filed charges on 27 June 2025, against a Syrian minor suspected of supporting the terrorist organisation Islamic State (ISIS) and participating in the preparation of a serious terrorist act. The accused, identified as Mohammad A., is believed by authorities to have actively contributed to planning a terrorist attack that would have targeted the 2024 Taylor Swift concert in Vienna at the Ernst Happel Stadium.

According to the indictment, the Syrian youth followed radical ISIS ideology since April 2024 and translated bomb-making instructions from Arabic into German via the internet. He also served as a liaison between a terrorism suspect based in Austria and an ISIS member, directly facilitating the preparation of the planned attack.

Although the planned attack was thwarted, the case drew significant international attention. Austrian authorities have since announced stricter surveillance measures, with a particular focus on monitoring encrypted communication applications.