German police arrested four suspected members of the Islamic State who were allegedly planning to attack U.S. military bases.
Federal prosecutors said the four men were arrested early Wednesday at various locations in North Rhine-Westphalia and charged with membership in a terrorist organization, according to the Associated Press.
The men were all identified as citizens of Tajikistan. Their alleged leader, a 30-year-old Tajik man, has been in jail for a year on unspecified charges.
Prosecutors said the men joined the terrorist group in January 2019 and were told to form a cell in Germany. They originally planned to carry out an attack in Tajikistan but later moved their target to Germany, including U.S. Air Force bases and a person they considered critical of Islam.
The group allegedly obtained firearms, ammunition, and had ordered materials to build an explosive device to carry out the attacks.
They are alleged to have been in communication with two high-ranking Islamic State figures in Syria and Afghanistan.
