Slovenia releases ISIS terrorism suspect from pretrial detention

Rashid Aziz, an Iraqi national accused of terrorist activities with the Islamic State (IS), has been released from pretrial detention in Slovenia. Aziz, who has been working as a cook in Slovenia since 2019, was arrested in March 2024 following an Interpol warrant.

The indictment, filed at the Ljubljana District Court on August 27, 2024, alleges that Aziz participated in terrorist attacks in Iraq in 2016, specifically involving the planting of bombs in vehicles and buildings.

Due to delays in the judicial process, the legal limit for his pretrial detention—which cannot exceed two years—has expired, requiring him to await trial from freedom. Aziz has a history of attempting to flee Slovenia to Germany in 2019 and 2021, where his requests for international protection were denied. Reports indicate that the FBI provided incriminating evidence to the Slovenian court during the proceedings.