On Wednesday, the German Federal Criminal Police apprehended Sohail A, a suspected member of the foreign terrorist organizations Liwa Jund al-Rahman and the Islamic State, on behalf of the Prosecutor General. The arrest came pursuant to an arrest warrant previously obtained by the Prosecutor General from the Federal Court on March 20.
The Federal Court issued the warrant on the basis of two main allegations. Firstly, Sohail A is alleged to have been a member of the terrorist organizations Liwa Jund al-Rahman and the Islamic State, an act which is illegal under section 129a of the German Criminal Code. Secondly, Sohail A stands accused of war crimes after supposedly forcibly transferring individuals to another state. Such actions constitute a violation of section 8 of the International Criminal Code.
Additional information from the Federal Criminal Police Office suggests that Sohail A had previously been in charge of the media department of the terrorist organizations, thereby playing a pivotal role in the propagation of their propaganda.
Liwa Jund al-Rahman, colloquially known as the Brigade of the Soldiers of the Merciful God in English, is an armed rebel group whose defined aim was to topple the Syrian regime by force. Although initially aligning with the Free Syrian Army, the group has engaged in prolonged hostilities since April 2013. In June 2013, the group conducted a “cleansing operation” in the village of Hatlah, resulting in the death and forced displacement of all Shiites in the area. It has been alleged that Sohail A used various social media platforms to repeatedly glorify the Hatlah event.
Last year, the German Federal Criminal Police commenced operations against the organization. In September 2023, they successfully arrested Amer A, who is understood to be the founder of the organization, as well as Basel O, a known commander of one of the organization’s combat units.
Sohail A, Amer A, and Basel O are all presently held in pre-trial detention.