Issa Remmo, widely described as the head of the Berlin-based Remmo clan, has attended a conference on Islamism held in the European Parliament.
The symposium, held on November 12 and titled “Democracies facing Islamism: wake up, resist, rebuild”, brought together European politicians and Muslim, Christian and Jewish representatives.
It was organised under the leadership of the French imam Hassen Chalghoumi, with the room reserved by French MEP Céline Imart of the European People’s Party (EPP).
Remmo, 58, is known in Germany as a leading figure in a large family network whose members have been convicted in connection with high-profile organised crime cases.
These include the theft of the 100kg “Big Maple Leaf” gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017 and the burglary of Dresden’s Green Vault in 2019.
Remmo himself is reported to have a police record but no convictions.
The presence of a figure associated with such a network at an event focused on countering Islamism and the Muslim Brotherhood has drawn criticism in Germany and beyond.
The EPP group stated that Remmo was invited neither by an individual MEP nor by the group itself, and that the group did not finance the event. It added that it applied a zero-tolerance policy towards political and religious extremism.
Remmo has said he was invited by Chalghoumi, whom he has described as a friend; the two had previously appeared together at a discussion event. Remmo is reported to have hosted the imam in Berlin in 2025.
Imart later said she and Chalghoumi only learned afterwards of the allegations against Remmo and apologised to anyone who may have felt hurt by his presence.
Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) MEP Harald Vilimsky called for clarification, noting that a participants’ list was reportedly submitted to police for security checks in advance.
“What do security checks and lists of participants bring when no one can explain afterwards which exams were actually taken? The European Parliament must disclose how its security mechanisms work and who is responsible for them. As a co-organiser, the EPP cannot simply pull itself out of the affair with a brief statement,” Vilimsky said.
At the conference Remmo spoke against anti-Semitism, telling the German-Jewish weekly Jüdische Allgemeine that “we are all brothers in this world” and that anti-Semitism should be “destroyed”.
He has also previously stated that Hamas bears responsibility for the deaths of civilians in the Gaza conflict.
The episode follows Remmo’s appearance at a post-election celebration of Die Linke (The Left) after the Berlin state election on September 20, which the party won. The party later distanced itself from his presence.
Remmo has since said he is “very disappointed” with Die Linke.
He accused the party of having an anti-Semitism problem. He also claimed to have founded his own party, Der Weg zum Licht (The Way to the Light), in the meantime.
The conference was framed as a counter to the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and as support for a European form of Islam.
Chalghoumi, president of the Conference of Imams of France and imam of Drancy, northeast of Paris, is known in France for interfaith dialogue and for publicly rejecting terrorism.
Organisers and participants included multiple conservative MEPs from across Europe.
Die Linke MP Ferat Koçak stepped back from the Bundestag Interior Committee after chats with a member of the Remmo family emerged. He had reportedly sought specific information on police actions targeting “clan crime.” https://t.co/Yrr5UwO5cu
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) September 24, 2026
