Two Suspected Members of the Foreign Terrorist Organisation ‘Liwa Jund al-Rahman’ Arrested

Year of issue 2023
Date 07.09.2023

Yesterday (6 September 2023), the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office had the Syrian nationals

Amer A.
and
Basel O.

arrested in Kiel and Munich in execution of arrest warrants issued by the Investigating Judge at the Federal Court of Justice. The suspects’ premises were searched as well. The Federal Criminal Police Office and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office had been tasked with conducting the police investigation. The Schleswig-Holstein State Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police lent support to the operation in Kiel.

Amer A. and Basel O. are strongly suspected of membership in the foreign terrorist organisation ‘Liwa Jund al-Rahman’ (section 129a para. 1 no. 1 of the German Criminal Code, section 129b para. 1 sentences 1 and 2 of the German Criminal Code [StGB]). In this respect, Amer A. is suspected of being the ringleader (section 129a para. 4 var. 1 of the German Criminal Code). Furthermore, he is strongly suspected of the commission of war crimes by means of deportation or forcible transfer (section 8 para. 1 no. 6 of the German Code of Crimes against International Law [VStGB]) and membership in the foreign terrorist organisation ‘Islamic State’.

In essence, the arrest warrant sets out the following facts:

1) In February 2013, Amer A. founded the organisation ‘Liwa Jund al-Rahman’ (‘Brigade of the Soldiers of the Merciful God’) in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor and went on to act as its leader. ‘Liwa Jund al-Rahman’ is an armed rebel group with the objective to overthrow the Syrian regime by force. While the group initially avowed itself to the Free Syrian Army, it was, in fact, pursuing an Islamist agenda. At the time of its foundation, ‘Liwa Jund al-Rahman’ already boasted a low three-digit number of fighters which increased significantly over time due to the accession of other armed groups. In the context of the civil war in Syria, the organisation repeatedly engaged in hostilities against the Syrian army since no later than April 2013.

In June 2013, the village of Hatlah near Deir ez-Zor was attacked jointly by ‘Liwa Jund al-Rahman’ under the command of Amer A., Jabhat al-Nusra and other jihadist groups. This so-called ‘cleansing’ operation was aimed at the local Shia population. Up to 60 Shia inhabitants were subsequently killed while the survivors were forced to flee to other areas in Syria or abroad by intentionally stoking fears of death – also by means of arson and looting. This forced displacement meant the end of all Shia presence in Hatlah.

In early July 2014, Amer A. joined the Islamic ‘State’ and placed ‘Liwa Jund al-Rahman’ including all of its fighters, equipment and financial resources under their authority. When the “Islamic State’ captured Al-Mayadin and took military action against the Al Shu’aytat tribe in the region of Deir ez-Zor in late July / early August 2014, the suspect commanded the fighters of his former organisation.

2) Basel O. assumed a prominent military position within ‘Liwa Jund al-Rahman’ since no later than late 2013. In December 2013 and April 2014, he commanded combat units of the organisation in battles with Syrian forces, especially at Deir ez-Zor’s military airfield.

Yesterday, the suspects were brought before the Investigating Judge at the Federal Court of Justice who read out the arrest warrants and decided for pre-trial detention to be put into effect.