He has been in custody for four months: a man from Eschweiler near Aachen is said to have fought several times in the ranks of an Islamist terrorist militia in Syria. The allegations go back ten years. Now the process begins
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - A 45-year-old from Eschweiler near Aachen has to answer as a suspected Islamist terrorist from this Tuesday (09.30 a.m.) before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. According to federal prosecutors, the German traveled to Syria four times between 2012 and 2014 to take part in the armed struggle against the government of Bashar al-Assad.
According to the indictment, he had joined the Islamist terrorist group Ahrar al-Sham ("Islamic Movement of the Free Men of Greater Syria"). The militia is said to have belonged to 10,000 to 20,000 fighters at times.
The accused had actively participated in combat operations several times, armed with a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle and a pistol. Before his missions, he is said to have obtained combat clothing, a weapon vest, a telescopic sight and an infrared laser emitter in Germany. Because he is said to have shot at people during an operation, he is also accused of attempted manslaughter.
In attacks, the militia fighters deliberately accepted civilian casualties. In some conquered areas, members of Ahrar al-Sham participated in the targeted killing of civilians.
The accused has been in custody since April 12. In an earlier interrogation, he claimed to have traveled to Syria to distribute aid. When he was arrested and the arrest warrant issued in April, he then remained silent on the allegations.
