Prosecutors in Karlsruhe, who are conducting investigations into the activities of 83 suspected jihadists, told the paper that “The Federal Prosecutor's Office is studying the conflict in Syria and Iraq in accordance with all its competences and from all points of view," but would not confirm details about individual cases.
The newspaper reported that among those against whom charges are being prepared are former rapper “Deso Dogg” and Fared S., a German-Algerian from Bonn, are already known to the media after having appeared in Islamic State propaganda videos last year.
Deso Dogg, 39, who was born Denis Cuspert but now calls himself Abu Talha al-Amani, was shown in a video last year holding a severed head and explaining to viewers in German that the victim had "received the death penalty" for fighting against the Islamic State.
Such cases have provoked the German Justice Ministry to review the prosecution of jihadists returning from abroad and implement Article 8 of the International Criminal Code, which includes "wilful killing" and "torture or inhuman treatment" and would mean a life sentence for those found guilty.
Last month, German media reported that the number of German nationals suspected of traveling to Syria and Iraq has reached 600, an additional 50 militant Islamists having made the journey in the last two months of 2014.
