German authorities say that they have arrested three young Syrian nationals who they claim are members of ISIS.
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that they apprehended two Syrian teenagers and one man in his 20s, identified as Mohamed A. They were arrested Tuesday morning in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein by special police forces.
The Prosecutor's Office says that investigations suspect the three men of coming to Germany on the orders of ISIS in November 2015, to either commit an act of terror or to wait for further instructions. They were charged with being members of a foreign terrorist organization.
One of the accused, a 17-year-old, joined ISIS at the end of September 2015 in Raqqa, the terror organization's de facto capital in Syria. He is suspected of receiving training there, including the handling of weapons and explosives. In October 2015, the three accused pledged to go to Europe, the Prosecutor's Office alleges.
The three were given passports provided by ISIS and received thousands of US dollars as well as mobile phones. The three came to Germany in the middle of November 2015 via Turkey and Greece, the Office said.
In 2015 and 2016, several European countries have experienced atrocities linked to ISIS-affiliated terrorists and "lone wolf" actors who have pledged fealty to the jihadist group.
