The September 4 arrests of
of whom are German citizens
who converted to Islam, has
given
profile case of homegrown
Islamic terrorism and focused
attention on the southern
German area of Ulm/Neu-Ulm,
which authorities have long
identified as a hotbed of radical
Islam.
(…..)
The Federal Prosecutors Office
has identified a number of
German cities as centers of
Islamic associations and
potential sites for extremism,
including
Braunschweig, Cologne, Berlin
and Muenster. Of these, the
neighboring cities of
Neu-Ulm have figured the most
prominently over the past decade
as breeding grounds for Islamic
extremists.
120,000) in
conservative southern state of
Baden-Wuerttemberg, is a leading
center for scientific research and
birthplace of Albert Einstein.
most healthy city by the health-
oriented magazine "Healthy
Living" in a nationwide
survey last month. Neu-Ulm
(population 51,000) is located
on the eastern side of the
Danube river in Bavaria.
The cities received an influx of
Muslim refugees from
in the mid 1990s, adding to
their existing Muslim communities
which came mainly from
Despite their traditionally moderate
take on Islam, Bosnian Muslims
developed ties with international
extremists who were often viewed
as the first to respond in
hour of need.
During the 1990s, the region
was seen as a staging point for
Muslim extremist fighters going
to
and Neu-Ulm have both hosted
organizations that have played
central roles in
Islamist spheres.
**
The Multicultural House (MCH)
in Neu-Ulm was founded in 1996
and in the nine years that it was
open attracted a series of note-
worthy individuals and Islamic
extremists including:
Mahmoud Salim, Osama Bin
Laden's chief of financial ope-
rations who visited in September
1998.
Reda Seyam, alleged to be
One of the planners of the
attacks of 12 October 2002.
Dr. Yehia Yousif, an Egyptian
who first came to
1988 as a researcher but later be-
came a jihad recruiter and hate
preacher who took on a leading
role at the MCH. Yousif left
gations of his activities increased.
Yousif's oldest son, who is
alleged to have spent time in
a
camp, was deported after
investigators found bomb-
making instruction manuals
in his apartment.
Khaled al-Masri was a visitor
to the MCH.
Mohammed Atta, one of the
9/11 terrorist pilots, is reported
to have visited the MCH.
Fritz Gelowicz is reported
to have been a frequent visitor
of the MCH.
******
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*****
