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Belgium Launches Syria Violations Probe, Detains War Crimes Suspect

The trial of former Syrian intelligence officers Iyad al-Ghareeb and Anwar Raslan in Koblenz, Germany. AFP file photo
The trial of former Syrian intelligence officers Iyad al-Ghareeb and Anwar Raslan in Koblenz, Germany. AFP file photo
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Belgium Launches Syria Violations Probe, Detains War Crimes Suspect

The trial of former Syrian intelligence officers Iyad al-Ghareeb and Anwar Raslan in Koblenz, Germany. AFP file photo
The trial of former Syrian intelligence officers Iyad al-Ghareeb and Anwar Raslan in Koblenz, Germany. AFP file photo

Belgium has joined other European nations in pursuing perpetrators of war crimes in Syria since 2011.

Belgian police arrested Hussein A. based on a warrant charging him with committing crimes against humanity.

He has been remanded in custody awaiting the issuance of formal charges, a process that may take several months.

Hussein A. served as a commander in a militia affiliated with the “National Defense Committees” in the Syrian Salamiyah region near Hama.

He was responsible for the arrest and handover of detainees to branches of the military security apparatus of the Syrian army in Hama.

Syrian lawyer Anwar Al-Bunni has prepared the case against Hussein A. and submitted it to the Belgian prosecutor general.

Al-Bunni stated that the accused delivered detainees to centers, knowing that they would be subjected to torture.

Moreover, Al-Bunni added that the case of Hussein A. is linked to another case involving an individual arrested two months ago in the Netherlands.

This individual was also a commander in a militia affiliated with the National Defense Committees and remains in custody awaiting formal charges and trial.

Al-Bunni clarified that the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research has managed to gather more than 10 witnesses in the case of Hussein A., all of whom are victims who have experienced arrest and torture.

In 2015, Hussein A. came to Belgium for a family reunion and applied for Belgian citizenship, but the decision is still pending.

This case is Belgium’s first against individuals accused of war crimes in Syria. It’s part of a broader effort led by al-Bunni, who is compiling cases against those fleeing Syria for Europe.

Al-Bunni relies on the principle of universal jurisdiction, allowing Western countries to prosecute criminals for crimes committed abroad.

Germany, followed by France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and now Belgium, all have initiated legal proceedings against former Syrian officers.

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World

North Korea's Kim Returns Home after Visit to Chinese Border City

01 October 2026, North Korea, Pyongyang: FILE PHOTO - A photograph released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 30, 2026, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un addressing a ceremony at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang marking the 80th anniversary of the country's top university. Photo: -/YNA/dpa
01 October 2026, North Korea, Pyongyang: FILE PHOTO - A photograph released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 30, 2026, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un addressing a ceremony at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang marking the 80th anniversary of the country's top university. Photo: -/YNA/dpa
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North Korea's Kim Returns Home after Visit to Chinese Border City

01 October 2026, North Korea, Pyongyang: FILE PHOTO - A photograph released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 30, 2026, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un addressing a ceremony at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang marking the 80th anniversary of the country's top university. Photo: -/YNA/dpa
01 October 2026, North Korea, Pyongyang: FILE PHOTO - A photograph released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 30, 2026, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un addressing a ceremony at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang marking the 80th anniversary of the country's top university. Photo: -/YNA/dpa

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned home on Saturday after making a day-long trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong, Beijing's state media reported, though the purpose of the unannounced visit was not immediately clear and there was no mention of talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping.

Kim is thought to have crossed into China via a major border bridge that officially opened last week, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between China and diplomatically isolated North Korea.

Neither North Korea nor China disclosed Kim's visit in advance. South Korean lawmaker Youn Kun-young said Kim was "understood" to have met Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday.

A readout from China's Xinhua news agency did not mention talks between Kim and Xi or Li. Instead, it said Wang Huning, Beijing's top political advisor, accompanied Kim in Dandong and "saw him off" at the bridge at the end of the trip.

The aims and outcomes of Kim's visit were murky, but China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for Pyongyang.

Xinhua quoted Wang as saying the visit was significant for "consolidating public goodwill towards the friendship... (and) deepening political mutual trust and jointly pursuing cooperation and development".

He also said China and North Korea should expand personnel exchanges, economic cooperation and strategic coordination, "to foster a peaceful and stable external environment for safeguarding their respective sovereignty, security and development interests", according to Xinhua.

Wang conveyed Xi's "cordial greetings and best wishes" to the North Korean leader.

The trip fell near the date both countries use to mark the entry of Chinese troops into the Korean War. Kim attended a memorial ceremony to fallen soldiers and visited an automobile factory, Xinhua said.

China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, also took part in the events, it added.

Youn, the South Korean lawmaker, said he had been briefed on Friday that a visit was likely.

The trip could send a "positive signal" about a possible US-North Korea summit, he said in a statement sent to AFP.

World leaders are preparing for November's APEC summit in China's Shenzhen, where it has been speculated that Kim may meet US President Donald Trump.

World

Iran's Pezeshkian Blames US for Interim Deal Failure, Urges New Try

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends the leaders' summit of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on October 16, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends the leaders' summit of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on October 16, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Iran's Pezeshkian Blames US for Interim Deal Failure, Urges New Try

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends the leaders' summit of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on October 16, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends the leaders' summit of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on October 16, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, in remarks broadcast on state TV on Saturday, blamed the United States for the failure of an interim deal with Iran, but said there should be a new attempt at concluding it.

"We were having negotiations, the (Americans) messed everything up...I still think we should go and conclude it," Pezeshkian said.

Washington is preparing for the possibility of a prolonged confrontation with Tehran, amid growing reports that the United States could launch fresh strikes against Iran before or after the US congressional midterm elections, despite President Donald Trump's insistence that the war could end soon.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington could maintain its blockade of Iranian ports for the foreseeable future and continue increasing economic pressure on Tehran, while expressing hope that Iran would return to meaningful negotiations over its nuclear program.

Trump, meanwhile, said the United States could take control of Iran and seize its oil. US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack did not rule out an American strike against Iran as early as this weekend, saying Trump had repeatedly given Tehran opportunities to reach an agreement.

World

Iran Reportedly in ‘Advanced Stages’ of Planning Attacks Against Americans

US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton (Reuters)
US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton (Reuters)
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Iran Reportedly in ‘Advanced Stages’ of Planning Attacks Against Americans

US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton (Reuters)
US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton (Reuters)

Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond, US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton has warned.

The US government has put employees on heightened alert across the Middle East and moved to reduce personnel levels at embassies and consulates, officials said Friday.

"We have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel," Clayton said in a memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a US official.

"The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," said the memo, which was first reported by Axios.

The US official said: "When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment."

Trump suggested on Friday that the US might launch renewed military operations against Iran.

"We may do another little Epic Fury" Trump said, referring to the US name for its attacks on Iran. He did not give any indication on timing.

The conflict began in late February with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, killing the country's supreme leader, along with senior military commanders.

The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for a new wave of strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections, though Trump has not made a final decision to carry them out, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.