The Trial of Mohammad K. & Asmael K.

On 8 December 2023, the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Germany charged the two Syrian nationals who live in Germany, Mohammad A. and Asmael K., with membership in one or more foreign terrorist organizations, murder, taking hostage resulting in death as war crime, and murder as war crime allegedly committed in Syria [For more details, see the press release by the Prosecutor from December 22, 2023]. 

The indictment states: 

"Since the end of April 2011, the Syrian regime has used brutal force against its opponents, worked to stop the protest movement that broke out against it using security forces, and began to intimidate Syrians. Tensions in the country quickly escalated and turned into a full-scale civil war.

 
In the fall of 2012, Mohammad A. founded an opposition battalion of 50 members and then merged with the Ahfad Al-Rasul terrorist brigades, which aimed to overthrow the regime in Syria, and to achieve this goal, it carried out attacks on state facilities. 

As the commander of his battalion, A. planned an attack on a security force building in the Yarmouk area of Damascus.

 At the end of 2013, A. joined the terrorist group "ISIS", was closely associated with the local leaders of "ISIS", and led 200 members of the group as an "Emir" (commander).  

The second Accused, Asmael K., joined "ISIS" in Damascus in 2013, and contributed to the kidnapping of two opponents of "ISIS" on two separate occasions, in Damascus, and detained victims in ISIS-affiliated centers, before they were executed in mid-January 2014, along with 10 other prisoners.

 
Asmael K. took part in the arrest of one of the victims, also guarded the 12 prisoners at the execution site, and shot at least one person. 

Mohammad A. was arrested on March 8, 2023, Asmael K. on March 20, 2023, and both remain in custody.