German police have arrested four stateless Syrian Palestinians and one Syrian national on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Syria approximately 10 years ago, according to prosecutors.
The men, identified by German privacy laws as Jihad A., Mahmoud A., Sameer S., and Wael S., are believed to have been affiliated with the Free Palestine Movement armed militia in Syria.
Furthermore, Mazhar J. is suspected of having been a Syrian intelligence officer, prosecutors stated on Wednesday.
The two suspects, Jihad A. and Mazhar J., were arrested in Berlin, while Sameer S. was arrested there, and Mahmoud A. in Frankenthal, located in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Wael S. was detained in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, according to prosecutors.
These individuals are suspected of involvement in the brutal suppression of a peaceful anti-government demonstration in Al Yarmouk in July 2012, during which civilian protesters were specifically targeted and fired upon. Prosecutors reported six fatalities and numerous others sustaining serious injuries during the incident.