Office of the Attorney General - Suspected members of a Syrian militia arrested
The Federal Prosecutor's Office has arrested four suspected members of a Syrian militia and one suspected employee of the Syrian secret service. The Karlsruhe authority made this known. The arrested individuals are suspected of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the murder and attempted murder of civilians. Four of them are also accused of torture.
The four suspected individuals are said to have joined the "Free Palestine Movement" (FPM) in Syria as early as 2011, according to the Federal Prosecutor's Office statement. This group controlled a neighborhood in Damascus, the capital, on behalf of the Syrian regime. The neighborhood of Jarmuk is said to have originated from a Palestinian refugee camp and was completely sealed off from July 2013.
The arrested individuals are accused of participating in the violent suppression of a peaceful demonstration against the Syrian government in 2012 and shooting at demonstrators. At least six people are said to have been killed as a result. At checkpoints, they allegedly physically assaulted civilians. "The victims were beaten with fists and rifle butts to the head or treated with their feet," the highest German prosecutor's office further stated.
Arrests in Germany and Sweden
The arrests reportedly took place on a Wednesday in Berlin, in Frankenthal in Rhineland-Palatinate, and at Boizenburg in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The criminal investigations departments of Berlin, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, and North Rhine-Westphalia were reportedly supported by the Federal Criminal Police and Europol in these arrests. In Essen, the premises of another suspect were also searched, who was on the run.
Simultaneously, three more persons were arrested in Sweden. The Swedish Prosecutor's Office stated that there was a suspicion of crimes against international law, which had been committed in Syria in 2012. The Prosecutor's Office did not provide further details about the arrested individuals. However, it became clear from the statement of the Federal Prosecutor General that they were three more suspected members of the FPM militia, who were accused of participating in the suppression of the demonstration in July 2012.
The arrested individuals in Germany will now be presented to the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice, who will issue the arrest warrant and decide on the investigative detention. Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann stated, "These men have to reckon with an indictment for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Germany. I would like to express my gratitude to all the involved state criminal investigations departments and our Swedish partners for their good cooperation."
- The crime accusations against the arrested Syrian militia members and secret service employee include extremist actions in Yarmouk, a neighborhood in Damascus.
- The Office of the Attorney General in Karlsruhe, Rhineland-Palatinate, is responsible for prosecuting war crimes committed in Syria.
- Germany's LKA (State Criminal Police Offices) and international organizations like Europol worked together to carry out arrests related to these crimes.
- The alleged crimes committed by the Syrian militia members include torture, murder, and attempted murder of civilians during the Syrian conflict.
- Authorities in Damascus, Syria, have been accused of sealing off the Palestinian refugee camp of Jarmouk in 2013, leading to severe human rights violations.
- The Federal Prosecutor's Office in Berlin is actively investigating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity in various German cities, including Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Berlin.
- Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania became hotspots for international investigations into war crimes, with several arrests taking place in these regions.
- Swedes authorities also took part in the global fight against war crimes and terrorism, resulting in the arrest of three individuals accused of committing crimes against international law in Yarmouk.
- The Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe will soon decide on the detention of the arrested individuals in Germany, as they face charges for their involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
