At least seven people arrested in Germany and Sweden on suspicion of war crimes in Syria

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — At least seven people have been arrested in Germany and Sweden on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Syria between 2012 and 2014, authorities in both countries said Wednesday.

In a coordinated effort also involving the European Union's judicial cooperation agency Eurojust, the EU police agency Europol and several other unnamed European countries, four people were arrested in Germany and three in Sweden.

The German federal prosecutor said those arrested in Germany were “strongly suspected of having killed or attempted to kill civilians.” Some of them were also suspected of having committed acts of torture.

The four people arrested in Germany are known as Jihad A., Mahmoud A., Sameer S. and Wael S. and have been affiliated with the Free Palestine Movement, a Syrian armed militia, since early 2011. German prosecutors did not give their last names, in line with confidentiality rules. Sweden has not identified the three arrested.

At the time, the militia was exercising control of the Palestinian-majority al-Yarmouk district on behalf of the Syrian regime, the German federal prosecutor said. Since July 2013, the Syrian regime had completely sealed off the area, leading to shortages of food, water and medical supplies.

Among the crimes committed, all suspects allegedly participated in the violent repression of a peaceful anti-government demonstration in al-Yarmouk on July 13, 2012, specifically targeting civilian protesters by shooting at them. Six people were killed and others seriously injured, according to the German statement.

The German federal prosecutor said that some of them also committed serious and repeated abuses against civilians in al-Yarmouk. The events took place between mid-2012 and 2014.

In one case, an individual was handed over to Syrian military intelligence, who allegedly imprisoned and tortured him. In another case, a woman was allegedly forced to pay with her family jewels for the release of her minor son and was threatened with rape.

Three of those arrested – Jihad A., Sameer S. and Wael S. – are stateless Syrian Palestinians, while Mazhar J. is a Syrian national.

The four suspects were arrested in Berlin, Frankenthal and near Boizenburg in southwestern and northeastern Germany. The home of another suspect, whose name has not been released and who has not been arrested, was searched in Essen in the west of the country.

They are to be brought before an investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice, who will read the arrest warrants and decide whether to place them in pre-trial detention. The court appearance will take place on Monday and Tuesday, the prosecutor's statement said.

In Sweden, prosecutors did not give details of those arrested. They said a decision was expected by midday on whether to detain or release them.

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Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.