The Iraqi rock group “Al-Salam-313” has come to the attention of German investigators. More than 500 emergency workers searched 49 houses in eleven cities. What is the group formerly known? The DW has researched.
From a Propaganda Video of the Iraqi Rocker-Gang: “you Behave respectfully. Otherwise, God will send someone to take care of you.”
You will be threatened, says the contact person for the German wave. Of an Iraqi rock group called “Al-Salam-313”. Because of their Western lifestyle. Because she freely expresses her opinion. You can also document. The phone is full of threats and murder. In Salam “means” actually peace.
The endangered Person is himself from Iraq and fled from the home. For security reasons, you want to be in this report and in particular not mentioned. Also, the state tells her the protection of the police. You know of other exiled Iraqis, who had also received threats, says the Person.
So far, no one dares to talk openly about it. Too great was the fear that the Iraqi Rocker let their threats with deeds is. According to the Instructions of the Endangered DW asks, already on 10. May, in writing, to the national protection of the Constitution North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) to. This is the domestic intelligence service of the most populous German Federal state. What do you know about “Al-Salam-313”? It could give the public no information, the call and response. The planning of the big RAID with more than 500 emergency workers was at this time already in the decisive Phase. Searches 49 houses in eleven cities in NRW were. One Person was arrested.
Large-scale RAID against “Al-Salam-313”
According to data from the country’s interior Minister, Herbert Reul, the preparations for the deployment continued for several months. It was gone the great RAID is mainly a question of evidence. The charges against “Al-Salam-313”, is specifically directed against 34 Iraqi and Syrian suspects: breach of the war weapons control act, illegal Smuggling of people pass counterfeits and crimes in the sphere of drug-related crime. The Minister speaks of “a successful strike against organised crime”. Whether the group was also outside of North Rhine-Westphalia active, he did not know.
What is publicly known
It just goes to organized crime? There is an old Facebook page under the name “Al-Salam-Germany”, however, it is no longer used since two years. The last Post is from the beginning of may 2017. On the Internet platform YouTube, a more than seven-minute long Propaganda Video of the Rocker-gear: clip also exists-like produced, with a dramatic music: In cars and on heavy motorcycles the gang members to drive as a column through the image. Then you build in a kind of semi-circle around their leader. A loud muscle-bound men with leather vests and sometimes dark sunglasses.
“Peace be with you. I am Abu Mehdi of the Salam-group 313”, introduces himself to the Clan chief in the Video itself. His alleged real name, he is with Mohammad Bunia. He stands with his arms crossed in front of the camera while he talks about his group, which had been founded at the beginning of 2016. In addition to Germany, also in other European countries, such as Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. “We have no qualms against anyone. Those who come to Europe have to behave,” says Abu Mehdi and refers mainly to Germany, the refugees Iraqis. He presents himself as a moralist.
The group is “to help to prepare not to have problems”. But: “Some of you need a spanking, ‘arab-style’ – and you know exactly what I mean.” Allegations, the response was something like an Iraqi mob, were all nonsense, says the alleged Abu Mehdi elsewhere.
The religious Name
His Alias Name is not chosen randomly. In Shia Islam, the Mehdi or Mahdi is a God-messenger, a descendant of the prophet Mohammed, will eliminate in the time of the end the injustice in the world. Also, the number 313 in the name of the Rocker gear has a religious reference. The Shiites believe that their Savior will return with 313 companions on the earth.
One of the number plates of the vehicles seen in the Video, starts with the letter E. The car is registered in the Ruhr metropolis of Essen in the West of Germany. There is also Abu Mehdi lives. In December 2017, the local reported local press on the rock group “Al-Salam-313”. At that time there was in Essen, a RAID on the tea room of the Clan leader. The trigger should have been a conflict for protection money pressings with a rival Lebanese Clan.
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The fight against criminal Clans
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The fight against criminal Arab Clans
The North Rhine-Westphalian state office of criminal investigation (LKA) mentioned the Iraqi rock group “Al-Salam-313” in his so-called “management report of the Clan-crime of 2018” not in particular. However, the LKA explicitly points out that organized crime in the past few months, a veritable “cut-throat competition” have taken place – the supremacy of Turkish, Kurdish or Lebanese family associations, threatening, and apparently by persons of Iraqi and Syrian origin “” will be accelerated. Clans from these two war-torn countries would be perceived as “in the Milieu as a particularly assertive and violent”.
The Mahdi army in Iraq
An employee of the Ministry of the interior NRW, confirmed to DW that “Al-Salam-313” suspected political and religiously motivated offenses. Specifically, it is alleged that the group’s armed support brothers in faith in Iraq.
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
Especially close Connections are said to have the rock group of the so-called Mahdi army of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. You used, as well as “Al-Salam-313” a dove in their Logo.
The Mahdi army is supposed to have, according to U.S. reports, several ten thousand fighters. It is only one of many armed Shiite militias in Iraq. Were these groups after the US Invasion in 2003. At that time, the complete demobilization of the Iraqi left’s army and the dismissal of large parts of the police a power vacuum, the armed groups filled.
Many of the Shiite groups supported by Iran with money, weapons and training. In the fight against the Sunni, the so-called “Islamic state” have played Shiite militias have an important role – often in coordination with the US armed forces.