Germany: Syrian on Trial Over Terrorism Charges

Cars drive past Germany's Federal Administrative Court, in Leipzig, Germany February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Cars drive past Germany's Federal Administrative Court, in Leipzig, Germany February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
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Germany: Syrian on Trial Over Terrorism Charges

Cars drive past Germany's Federal Administrative Court, in Leipzig, Germany February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Cars drive past Germany's Federal Administrative Court, in Leipzig, Germany February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

A Syrian man, Basil A., is being tried in Germany on charges of belonging to a foreign terrorist group and supporting another one.

Basil, 24, appeared before a Hamburg court on accusations of fighting with Ahrar al-Sham for eight months, starting August 2013, before joining ISIS in Syria.

The terrorist fled from ISIS and reached Turkey then Germany in December along with the wave of refugees. He was arrested in May 2018 after the regression of the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.

Kai Vantzen, the spokesman for the Hamburg court, said that Ahrar al-Sham follows the policy of physical and psychological indoctrination of Muslims with different intellect. He added that the group kills civilians for the sake of achieving its purposes.

The convict participated in forming the guarding teams of Ahrar al-Sham and was armed with grenades and Kalashnikov. He also took part in monitoring sites and movements of Syrian regime forces near a military airport.

Basil also spied in favor of the terrorist group on residents of al-Tabqah and reported for the leadership the gaps in operations of security forces belonging to ISIS. He also went into street wars fighting alongside Ahrar al-Sham militias.

This isn’t the first time when the German courts get involved with individuals charged for fighting with Ahrar al-Sham. Hamburg court issued earlier a two year and nine months sentence in the case of another Syrian on charges of belonging to a terrorist group.



Kremlin Says New US Base in Poland Is Aimed at ‘Containing’ Russia

Russia, Saint Petersburg: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/Kremlin/dpa
Russia, Saint Petersburg: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/Kremlin/dpa
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Kremlin Says New US Base in Poland Is Aimed at ‘Containing’ Russia

Russia, Saint Petersburg: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/Kremlin/dpa
Russia, Saint Petersburg: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/Kremlin/dpa

The Kremlin said on Wednesday the opening of a new US missile base in Poland was part of an attempt to contain Russia by moving American military infrastructure closer to its borders.

The US base at Redzikowo is part of a broader NATO missile shield dubbed "Aegis Ashore", which the alliance says is capable of intercepting short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had objected to plans for the base as far back as the 2000s, when George W. Bush was US president.

He said Putin had insisted at the time the United States was lying when it said the purpose was to intercept potential Iranian missiles.

"This is confirmation that President Putin was right. These plans continue to be implemented. This is the advancement of American military infrastructure on European territory towards our borders," Peskov said.

"This is nothing other than an attempt to contain our military potential and, of course, this leads to the adoption of appropriate measures to ensure parity."

Peskov did not say what measures Russia might take in response.