A prominent German Salafist influencer who preached a strict interpretation of Islam online has been sentenced to three years in prison after a Düsseldorf court found he had systematically defrauded his followers out of nearly half a million euros in donations.
Dehran Asanov, known to his followers as “Abdelhamid,” was convicted on Wednesday of more than 30 counts of serious fraud. The 34-year-old had amassed a large following on Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify by promoting a lifestyle of religious discipline and self-purification, often dressed in casual sportswear and speaking directly to younger audiences.
As reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, authorities found that he had diverted at least €496,000 from dozens of donation campaigns to finance an extravagant lifestyle that included luxury cars, designer handbags, and expensive watches. A single campaign advertised as raising funds “for Palestine” brought in €78,000, which Asanov used to purchase a sports car.
Während sich der Islamist „Abdelhamid“ durch Spenden ein Luxusleben finanzierte, kassierte er Bürgergeld & ließ sich eine Wohnung vom Jobcenter bezahlen. Der Influencer besitzt teure Mercedes AMGs, BMWs, Rolex Uhren, etc. Eine halbe Million für notleidende Kinder die er… https://t.co/XMqQl52dP5 pic.twitter.com/gu08SWUHzD
— spaceloop23
(@spaceloop23) June 24, 2025
In their ruling, judges described his actions as a “betrayal of the community and his faith,” and noted that many victims still believed their donations went to charitable causes.
Investigators initially suspected the funds may have been funneled to terrorist groups, but instead discovered a scheme of self-enrichment. The court ruled the fraud was “particularly serious” and committed commercially over a long period, though prosecutors’ claims of gang-related activity were not upheld.
At the time of his arrest, Asanov had amassed 600,000 followers on TikTok and, according to Welt, had been calling for donations on Instagram since 2021.
He had been known to authorities since 2018 for his fundamentalist preaching at mosques across Germany, and had been an active member of Ansaar International — an organization that presented itself as an Islamic relief charity but was shut down by the German government in May 2021 over suspicions that it had diverted donations to Islamist terrorist groups including Hamas and the al-Nusra Front.
Asanov’s Islamic-law wife and accomplice, Gjulten I., appeared in court alongside him and confessed to helping manage the fraudulent accounts. Though deemed to have played a lesser role, she was sentenced to a suspended prison term of one year and nine months. The court also ordered the full confiscation of the €496,000 in proceeds.
Asanov had previously claimed in his sermons to have left behind a troubled past on “the street” and used this narrative to justify his transformation into a moral guide.
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