Involved in riot in Lannesdorf Brothers from Bonn Salafist scene killed in Iraq
BONN · Two Islamists from Bonn were killed in a US air strike in northern Iraq. One of the brothers was Ömer D., one of the most wanted heads of the IS, and accused of attacking police in Lannesdorf unrest in May of 2012.
For years, the Bonn judiciary system had been searching for Ömer D. with an international arrest warrant. He allegedly threw stones, attacking police at a demonstration in Lannesdorf on May 5, 2012. He did not show up for a court appearance to answer to charges in 2014; at the time he was 24-years-old.
Then, at the beginning of August, the judge in charge of the case received information that Ömer D. and his brother Yusuf had been killed in a US air strike in northern Iraq on October 26, 2017. District court director Birgit Niepmann released the information on Thursday in her role as spokesperson.
After his disappearance from Germany, Ömer D. became, according to German security authorities, one of the most wanted heads of the Islamic State (IS). Together with his brother, he was considered extremely dangerous.
Identified in photos from riot in Lannesdorf
After the violent unrest in Lannesdorf, Ömer D. was identified on photos and films by investigators and eventually charged. But his defense attorney said at a first hearing that his client was not the man in the photos. A new hearing was set so the defense attorney could obtain the services of an identity expert, but Ömer D. didn’t show up for a subsequent hearing. An expert confirmed his identity in the photos. The judge issued an international arrest warrant on May 12, 2015 because of the risk of him fleeing.
According to Dutch authorities, Ömer D. had already left for Bulgaria with his wife and three children. He and his brother became increasingly targeted by German security authorities, who had since become aware that the brothers, who were born in Turkey and grew up in Herne, had joined the terrorist group IS and had risen to leadership positions there.
Killed in 2017 near the Iraqi-Syrian border
There was an intensive manhunt for the two Islamists in 2016; they were suspected of preparing for attacks in Germany. Ömer D. was said to have belonged to a unit of the IS that was responsible for the planning and execution of terrorist attacks, especially in Europe. According to security authorities, his brother Yusuf was involved in IS propaganda work for the German-speaking world.
Bonn investigative and judiciary authorities received a statement from the US Department of Defense in November of 2017 that several high-ranking IS terrorist figures had been killed near the Iraqi-Syrian border, including Ömer D. and his brother Yusuf. According to information from security circles, it was a drone attack.
Spokeswoman Birgit Niepmann says the Bonn District Court has now closed the case.
Orig. text: Rita Klein
Translation: ck
