Current:Home > MarketsGermany arrests 2 Syrians, one of them accused of war crimes related to a deadly attack in 2013 -FundGuru
Germany arrests 2 Syrians, one of them accused of war crimes related to a deadly attack in 2013
View
Date:2025-04-15 21:19:22
BERLIN (AP) — Two Syrian men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of membership in extremist groups, and one of them is suspected of involvement in a 2013 attack in eastern Syria in which more than 60 Shiite fighters and civilians were killed, prosecutors said Thursday.
The suspects, identified only as Amer A. and Basel O. in line with German privacy rules, were arrested on Wednesday, the federal prosecutors’ office said. Both are accused of membership in a foreign terrorist organization — Liwa Jund al Rahman, or Brigade of the Soldiers of the Merciful God, an armed rebel group that prosecutors said Amer A. formed in February 2013 and led.
Amer A. is also accused of committing war crimes by means of forced displacement and of membership in the Islamic State group.
The war crimes charges relate to a June 2013 attack on Hatla, in Syria’s eastern Deir el-Zour province, that killed about 60 Shiite residents. At the time, the attack underlined the increasingly sectarian nature of Syria’s civil war. Prosecutors said the attack was carried out jointly by Liwa Jund al Rahman under Amer A.'s command and other jihadi groups.
Survivors of the attack were forced to flee to elsewhere in Syria or abroad “by intentionally stoking fears of death — also by means of arson and looting,” prosecutors said in a statement. “This forced displacement meant the end of all Shiite presence in Hatla.”
Amer A. joined IS in July 2014 and put his group under its command, prosecutors said. They said Basel O. took a “prominent military position” in his group by late 2013 and commanded units of the organization in battles with Syrian government forces in December that year and in April 2014, particularly at Deir el-Zour’s military airfield.
A judge on Wednesday ordered the two suspects held in custody pending a potential indictment.
Germany’s application of the rule of “universal jurisdiction,” allowing the prosecution of serious crimes committed abroad, led last year to the first conviction of a senior Syrian official for crimes against humanity.
And in February, a German court convicted a Palestinian man from Syria of a war crime and murder for launching a grenade into a crowd of civilians waiting for food in Damascus in 2014.
veryGood! (1325)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Kentucky governor says investigators will determine what caused deadly Louisville factory explosion
- In bizarro world, Tennessee plays better defense, and Georgia's Kirby Smart comes unglued
- Jax Taylor Breaks Silence on Brittany Cartwright Dating His Friend Amid Their Divorce
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Blake Snell free agent rumors: Best fits for two-time Cy Young winner
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- Shocked South Carolina woman walks into bathroom only to find python behind toilet
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Two 'incredibly rare' sea serpents seen in Southern California waters months apart
Ranking
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- NBA today: Injuries pile up, Mavericks are on a skid, Nuggets return to form
- Texas man accused of supporting ISIS charged in federal court
- Kyle Richards Swears This Holiday Candle Is the Best Scent Ever and She Uses It All Year
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Gold is suddenly not so glittery after Trump’s White House victory
- The Daily Money: All about 'Doge.'
- Today's Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb: Everything to Know About the Beloved Anchor
Recommendation
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
The Fate of Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager's Today Fourth Hour Revealed
Georgia lawmaker proposes new gun safety policies after school shooting
Louisville officials mourn victims of 'unthinkable' plant explosion amid investigation
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
See Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Winning NFL Outing With Kids Zuma and Apollo
Top Federal Reserve official defends central bank’s independence in wake of Trump win
Statue of the late US Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, is unveiled in his native Alabama