The case of a jihadist on trial in Germany for joining a group in Syria allied to Islamic State has brought to light how the extremists communicated with WhatsApp and struggled to send funds to the Middle East.
As the trial opened to a packed court room in Stuttgart, local media reports painted a picture of jihadists forced to send a member to Europe for supplies because it had become too hard for them to transfer money without being traced.
The terrorists used the wire transfer service Western Union to send money around the world, but had become so nervous of transactions being monitored they were afraid to pick up the money.
