A woman from Oberhausen sent transfers to her son, who was fighting for IS, abroad. Photo: Floor photo design
A family sent money abroad to their son and brother. But he fought there for the IS. This was also known to the family, but they still felt obliged to their family member. Now they have been convicted.
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A 60-year-old woman from Oberhausen has been sentenced to two years’ probation as a supporter of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia. The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court (OLG) found on Thursday that she had given money to her son, who had joined IS as a fighter, over a longer period of time. Two other women and one man from Oberhausen received suspended sentences of between seven months and one year. All four were found guilty of supporting a foreign terrorist organization in conjunction with a violation of a ban on deployment under the Foreign Trade and Payments Act.
All had confessed to having supported their family member, who had fled to Syria as an IS fighter, with a total of more than 16,000 euros. “You enabled him to continue fighting for IS,” said the presiding judge. Because the pay that the Oberhausener received from IS was at times not enough to live on. “Everyone was aware that it was forbidden, but they felt a moral obligation.” In doing so, they would have supported IS over a period of three years.
“I knew he was fighting there, I can’t deny that,” the mother said of her son. A fifth defendant, a brother of the terrorist, was sentenced to seven months’ probation for attempting to violate EU sanctions. His payment had not arrived because the service provider Western Union had blocked the recipient.
The IS terrorist from Oberhausen was killed in fighting in Syria in November 2018. He fled to Syria during a vacation in Turkey in 2015. According to the indictment, mostly between 500 and 1,000 euros per month flowed to the Middle East via foreign transfer. There, the money was picked up by IS contacts. The convicts are 24 to 60 years old.
dpa/ast/LTO-Redaktion
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