ODFS Director welcomes charging of ISIL members in Germany
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Germany charges 3 over Syria radical group
SEATTLE PI
German prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against a Lebanese man accused of belonging to a hard-line Islamic group in Syria, and two suspected accomplices.
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday the main suspect, identified only as Ismail I, was charged with membership in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al-Qaida breakaway group. His brother, Ezzeddine I, and German national Mohammad Sobhan A. were charged with supporting it. They're also charged with procuring equipment and money.
The main suspect is accused of training and fighting for the group in Syria last year. Prosecutors say the group sent him back to Germany to procure money, medicine and military supplies.
He and one of the alleged accomplices were arrested on a German highway in November as they set off for Syria.
Welcoming the news, ODFS Director, Ribal Al-Assad said:
"I welcome the charges brought against these individuals, the ISIL is one of the most violent terrorist groups involved in the Syrian conflict; it's members have committed atrocities on a truly prolific scale and it is reassuring that these men have been brought to justice.
However there are still thousands of people who continue to commit war crimes in Syria, every day more bombings, kidnappings, murders and executions are perpetrated by hard line Islamist factions.
Further steps still need to be taken - these people who are leaving to fight in Syria are not only committing crimes in Syria but are being trained to launch attacks in their home countries.
All these individuals must face the full force of the law - we must not allow them to escape justice and as I have said repeatedly, more needs to be done to ensure they face it.
For now however, this is a small but positive step."