LTTE is "still active in Europe in many forms" despite the military defeat, say officials

The German prosecution service accused the men of using blackmail and extortion to raise funds from Tamils living in Germany.

The German and Sri Lankan nationals were arrested on Wednesday in raids on eight premises including the Tamil Coordination Committee (TCC) in Oberhausen near Essen.

Deputy Sri Lankan ambassador in Germany, Maj Gen Jagath Dias told BBC Sandeshaya that the group was forcing Sri Lankan Tamil migrants to pay 50 Euros per month.

The LTTE earlier collected money threatening to harm their relatives in Sri Lanka, he said, but was threatening the immigrants after the defeat of the LTTE in May, last year.

“Although the LTTE was defeated in Sri Lanka, the group is still very active in Europe in many other forms,” he told BBC Sinhala service.

The Tamil Tigers was banned within the European Union in 2006 as a terrorist organisation.