Charges brought against Islamic State operator in Switzerland

Undated photo of an IS convoy near Raqqa, in Syria. Keystone / Uncredited

An Iraqi man accused of operating in Switzerland as a recruiter and trafficker for the Islamic State has been formally charged by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

“The suspect held a position of authority in relation to other IS members, some also high-ranking, and functioned as a recruiter, trafficker, cash-provider and as the recipient of instructions from leading IS members,” the OAG wrote on Tuesday.

The man, who was not identified, has been held pending trial since 2017, a year after the OAG began investigating the case. He allegedly operated as part of an international network of IS members in Switzerland, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Finland, and another unidentified location.

He is notably accused of having agreed to prepare attacks in Switzerland, although the OAG said that there was no proof that any such operation was imminent.

The investigation by the attorney general’s office was run in cooperation with forces from canton Zurich, as well as federal police, and several other countries.

It’s not the first time such a trial has been held in Switzerland: the country has pursued dozens of cases against both recruiters and those who have gone to fight jihad for such groups; earlier this year, a woman had her citizenship revoked due to suspected links to IS.

However, the Alpine nation has managed to avoid any of the large-scale terror attacks that have been seen in countries including Britain, France, and Germany in recent years.