Crowdfunding the 'Islamic State' group

“This message is the beginning of an important call for donations,” said a note in German on the instant messenger service, Telegram, in late July. “In the camp there are two brothers, 15 and 17 years old, in hiding. Their family in the land of the unbelievers has published their pictures and wants to bundle them back to their homeland.”

But the mother of the boys wants “to bring them to safety,” the note said, and to do so she would need a total of $14,000 (€14,000). The money would be…