German man faces trial over suspected Islamic State training plan

A man has been placed in pre-trial detention in Germany over an alleged attempt to join the Islamic State terrorist group while abroad. 

The investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe executed an arrest warrant for the German national, a spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutor General's Office confirmed to dpa on Saturday. 

The 21-year-old was reportedly extradited to Germany on Friday.

The accused is alleged to have travelled from Berlin to Ethiopia in January 2025, with the aim of initially joining Islamic State in Somalia and undergoing training as a fighter. 

However, prosecutors allege that he never reached Somalia, but instead travelled to Pakistan to join Islamic State there. He was reportedly arrested in Pakistan in February 2025.

The suspect is accused of attempted membership of a terrorist organization abroad and of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state. 

Under German criminal law, the latter offence is deemed to have been committed as soon as a person leaves Germany to join a terrorist group abroad or to receive training from it.

As Germany's highest law enforcement authority, the Federal Public Prosecutor General's Office is primarily responsible for matters relating to terrorism, espionage and international criminal law.