A police officer stands by a police vehicle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on March 19, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Germany says it has arrested five members of Daesh terrorist group allegedly planning to carry out a series of attacks on US military bases.

According to federal prosecutors, the suspects, identified as Azizjon B., Muhammadali G., Farhodshoh K. and Sunatullokh K., were all citizens of Tajikistan and joined Daesh in January 2019. They were arrested on Wednesday at different regions within the territory of North Rhine-Westphalia state.

The group, headed by Ravsan B., a 30-year-old Tajik man, were initially supposed to attack some targets in Tajikistan. But, due to some reasons, they have switched their target country to Germany in a bid to attack US airforce bases. They have been in contact with two high-ranking Daesh figures in Syria and Afghanistan.

The police also announced that the group had obtained firearms and ammunition for its operations, while having an order from Ravsan B. to construct an explosive device.

Ravsan B. had accepted a $40,000 contract to assassinate someone in Albania in order to pay for the plans, but it has failed, the police added.

Germany has repeatedly warned about the threat of attacks by Daesh terrorists, the bloodiest of which was a truck rampage through a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016 that left 12 people dead.

In June 2018, German police said they foiled what would have been the first biological attack with the arrest of a Tunisian Daesh supporter in possession of ricin and bomb-making material.

Also in November 2019, police forces in the western city of Offenbach arrested three Daesh members over planning a bomb attack.

That same month, a Syrian was arrested in Berlin accused of having procured key components for an explosive device and discussing bomb-making tips with other suspected in an online chat group.

SOURCE: PRESS TV