State security warns: deradicalisation NGO Derad under suspicion of Islamism
The association Derad, which has cared for young jihadists since 2015, is itself under suspicion of Islamism according to the DSN. The federal government has ended cooperation with the organisation.
State security questions Derad's acceptability
The association Deradicalisation and Prevention (Derad) is itself under suspicion of being close to Islamist ideologies according to the assessment of the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence Service (DSN). Der Standard reports this. The federal government has subsequently ended its cooperation with the organisation.
According to state security, several actors within the deradicalisation facility are said to be close to the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. The warning states: radicalised young people could potentially become ideologues of the Islamist movement rather than liberal Muslims in the Derad programme. However, state security acknowledges certain successes by the association in combating jihadism.
Derad firmly rejects the allegations according to its own statements. Since 2015, the organisation has cared for young jihadists and alleged terror planners.
The background makes the matter particularly sensitive: whilst state security counted a double-digit number of high-risk jihadist threats in the early 2020s, this figure has since risen to a low triple-digit number. Furthermore, according to state security, the potential attack planners are becoming increasingly younger.
Source: Der Standard