Binding threads used to stabilize unidirectional fiber preforms remain embedded in the final fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminate and act as unavoidable meso-scale heterogeneities. Due to their geometry and stiffness differing from the surrounding matrix, they locally act as defects and contribute significantly to local stress concentrations and matrix cracking. Although the role of manufacturing-related features in damage initiation is well documented, the mechanical mechanisms by which binding threads affect local stress states and fracture-energy dissipation remain insufficiently understood. Intralaminar damage modelling commonly relies on multiscale finite element (FE) analyses and often uses cohesive-zone formulations to describe crack initiation, propagation, and stiffness degradation. Although various fracture modelling strategies exist, fracture energies are still commonly treated as global material properties and are rarely linked to locally evolving mixed-mode stress states induced by binding threads. This study investigates local stress-strain behaviour near binding threads using experimentally derived geometric models. High-resolution meso-scale geometries from microscopic analyses are transferred into FE models, enabling explicit representation of binding-thread shape and in-layer position. The influence of geometry and location on stress concentrations, shear stress, and mixed-mode loading is examined. Crack paths and fracture processes are analyzed, and fracture energies are evaluated from energy release rates and dissipation during simulated crack propagation. The simulations reveal pronounced stress localization and significant mode mixity around binding threads even under nominally uniaxial loading. Geometry-and position-dependent variations in crack deflection and local energy dissipation provide a mechanical explanation for experimentally observed scatter in transverse cracking behaviour. The results underline the decisive role of binding threads in controlling local stress states and fracture response in FRP laminates, supporting improved damage modelling and damage-tolerant composite design.