German police have arrested Syrian migrant in Germany who they say participated in crimes during the Syrian civil war.
German Federal prosecutors have alleged that a Syrian migrant they identified as Ibrahim Al F. was commander of a rebel militia in Aleppo that had committed atrocities and plundered ancient artefacts during the ongoing Syrian conflict. Ibrahim was detained Wednesday on a German arrest warrant in Westphalia reports theLocal.
Prosecutors released a statement after the arrest saying, “the accused is strongly suspected of treating people entitled to protection under international humanitarian law cruelly and inhumanely in the autumn of 2012 during the Syrian civil war,” and he is believed to have commanded a militia consisting of 150 jihadi fighters under the banner of the Islamist Ghuraba al-Sham group who were at the time a coalition partner of the Free Syrian Army.
The Free Syrian Army (FSA) emerged as the chief opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Syrian Arab Army (FAA) along with the Islamic State (ISIS) and the Al-Nusra front.
Officials said that the militia was less interested in pursuing a strategy of beating the SAA forces and rather used the conflict to enrich themselves saying that the group had only, “self serving aims.”
The atrocities the group are said to have committed under the command of Ibrahim al F. include the torture and kidnapping of those who stood in their way of war plunder. The prosecutor told media, “two residents who tried to protect their neighbouring district from plundering are believed to have been captured by the accused and his fighters and held for several days at a makeshift prison under their control,” and they told how the prisoners were “tortured repeatedly in the accused’s presence and by him personally.”
The militia is sad to have kidnapped at least six other people during the course of their stay in Aleppo and attempted to make money from them by ransoming them to family members.
In Aleppo they plundered various ancient artefacts from homes and museums on more than one occasion after the FAA forces retreated from various districts of the historic city. Some of the artefacts included priceless works of art which the group attempted to sell unsuccessfully.
Since the migrant crisis began, governments have been finding participants of the Syrian civil conflict who have fled the country for various reasons. Some have fled because they are civilians and it no longer safe for them. Others have fled because they are ISIS agents like the jihadi commander who was caught in a German asylum home earlier this year.
War criminals are also fleeing Syria to Europe in the wake of several victories by the army of Bashar al Assad. Fearing reprisal for their actions they join other migrants and in this case and in Finland they are caught, but some are worried that many remain at large across Europe.