A cell of Tajiki members of the Islamic State terrorist organization planned to execute a critic of Islam in Germany.

The German paper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported in mid-April that the now-arrested Islamic State cell “planned to assassinate the Islam critic Amir Masoud Arabpour M. from Neuss. The ex-Muslim, who converted to Christianity, repeatedly questioned the teaching of the Koran in YouTube clips. M. has been a considered an enemy of the radical Islamic Salafist scene since the beginning of 2019.”

The paper added that “On March 14, 2019, a member of the cell evaluated the surroundings of the targeted victim. According to the federal prosecutor, the goal was to shoot the Islam critic.”

The Iranian-born Amir Masoud Arabpour lives in the city Neuss near the major city of  Düsseldorf in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

According to the prosecutor, the Islamic State cell “planned a murder attempt on a person who, from the perspective of the accused, had made public statements that were critical of the Islam. Against this background, the targeted murder victim has already been spied on by the accused Farhodshoh K. US Air Force bases in Germany were also scouted.”

The German authorities arrested a total of five Islamic State members involved in the plots to carry out attacks against US forces in Germany, Amir Masoud Arabpour M, and an assassination in Albania.