German Maccabi footballer accused of Islamic State membership
A 20-year-old man who once played for Jewish football club Maccabi Frankfurt has gone on trial in Germany, charged with being a member of the extremist Islamic State.
Prosecutors allege that Kreshnik Berisha, travelled to Syria last year and fought with the group before returning to Germany five months later.
Berisha, who could face up to 10 years in prison for membership of a foreign terrorist organisation, was arrested at Frankfurt airport in December and has been detained ever since.
As recently as 2011 he appeared “very nice, unassuming,” according to the chairman of TuS Makkabi Frankfurt, Germany’s most prominent Jewish football club, whose under-17 youth team Berisha played for.
Heightened security measures are in place for the trial, which is expected to last until at least November.
It opens just days after Germany formally banned Islamic State symbols and any propaganda activity for the group.
Authorities say more than 400 people from Germany have joined jihadist groups fighting in Syria since the start of the conflict there. Some are converts to Islam, but many come from Muslim families that have settled in Germany.
Berisha’s alleged radicalisation apparently occurred over the course of a few years.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
