ISIS terror trial in Frankfurt: Two men from Kassel arrested at airport
Two German citizens born in Kassel are standing trial at Frankfurt Regional Court over planned ISIS attacks. They were arrested shortly before departure.
Defendant regrets radicalisation – verdict expected in October
Since Tuesday, two German citizens born in Kassel have had to answer charges before Frankfurt Regional Court. As reported by BILD, Frankfurt prosecutors accuse the men – Edis Z. (27) and Jiyan K. (19) – of planning preparation of a serious act of violence threatening state security. They are alleged to have intended to join the terror militia Islamic State (ISIS) and to receive weapons training abroad.
According to the indictment, both men have harboured pronounced sympathy for ISIS for years. Edis Z. is said to have planned, at the latest since January 2023, to die as a "martyr of the Islamist ideology" – either through a suicide belt bomb or using a vehicle in a suicide attack in Germany. Z. is divorced, has a four-year-old daughter and most recently worked for Volkswagen, the refuse collection service and Siemens. Jiyan K. is married according to Islamic law.
Arrests directly at departure gates
In 2025, Z. is said to have put concrete departure plans into action. He booked a flight from Hannover to Beirut, from where he intended to travel by taxi to Damascus. Jiyan K. purchased flight tickets from Stuttgart to Hatay in Turkey; from there the plan was to continue to Idlib in Syria. K.'s girlfriend is also said to have been informed of the plans and is being prosecuted separately.
The arrests took place before the men could take off: Edis Z. was arrested at Hannover airport, Jiyan K. at Stuttgart airport directly at the departure gates. According to prosecutors, they had been under surveillance for months and are said to have discussed concrete attack plans for Germany during this time. Both are currently in custody – Z. in Frankfurt prison, K. in Wiesbaden prison.
"I was radicalised and frustrated"
Before presiding judge Dr Steinmetz, Edis Z. made a confession on the first day of trial that cast his motivation in a different light. He had not intended to return to Germany: "I wanted a better life." After separating from his wife, he had become increasingly radicalised: "I was very enthusiastic at the time, trapped in my bubble. Today I am ashamed of it."
According to his own statement, Z. claims he did not have a concrete attack plan for Germany: "I did not have a concrete plan for an attack in Germany." In the courtroom, his mother watched his statement visibly moved – she wiped away tears several times. Z. turned directly to her: "I have only harmed my family and myself."
Finally, he expressed the wish to remain permanently in Germany and lead a normal life: "I can best practise my religion here in Germany." The verdict in the proceedings is expected in October.
Source: BILD