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Germany Arrests Five Suspected of War Crimes in Syria

German police secure the main train station in Munich, Germany, January 1, 2016. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle
German police secure the main train station in Munich, Germany, January 1, 2016. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle
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Germany Arrests Five Suspected of War Crimes in Syria

German police secure the main train station in Munich, Germany, January 1, 2016. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle
German police secure the main train station in Munich, Germany, January 1, 2016. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

German police arrested four stateless Syrian Palestinians and one Syrian national suspected of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Syria some 10 years ago, prosecutors said.
The men, identified in line with German privacy laws only as Jihad A., Mahmoud A., Sameer S. and Wael S. are suspected to have been affiliated with the Free Palestine Movement in Syria. Mazhar J. is suspected to have been a Syrian Intelligence Officer, said prosecutors in a statement on Wednesday.
"The individuals ... are strongly suspected of killing and attempting to kill civilians (which) qualified as crimes against humanity and war crimes," the statement said.
Jihad A., Mazhar J. and Sameer S. were arrested in Berlin, Mahmoud A. in Frankenthal in the south-western state of Rhineland-Palatinate and Wael S. in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg Vorpommern, said prosecutors.
The individuals are suspected of participating in a violent crackdown on a peaceful anti-government protest in Al Yarmouk in July 2012, in which civilian protesters were targeted and shot at. Six individuals died and others were seriously injured, Reuters quoted prosecutors as saying.
The suspected militia members are also accused of punching and kicking civilians between 2012 and 2014 at checkpoints and beating them with rifle butts, according to prosecutors.
One individual was handed over to the Syrian Military Intelligence Service to be imprisoned and tortured, they said. In addition, one of the suspects is suspected of having turned in to authorities three people killed in a mass execution of 41 civilians in April 2013.
The arrests were made thanks to Germany's universal jurisdiction laws, which allow courts to prosecute crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world. Authorities coordinated with Sweden in a joint investigation.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a separate statement it had arrested three people in Sweden for crimes against international law committed in Syria in 2012.

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Trump Arrives in Washington as Inauguration Celebrations Begin with Elvis Impersonator, Fireworks

Officials inspect the construction of a stand in the Rotunda, where President-elect Donald Trump is due to take the oath of office on Monday, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Officials inspect the construction of a stand in the Rotunda, where President-elect Donald Trump is due to take the oath of office on Monday, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
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Trump Arrives in Washington as Inauguration Celebrations Begin with Elvis Impersonator, Fireworks

Officials inspect the construction of a stand in the Rotunda, where President-elect Donald Trump is due to take the oath of office on Monday, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Officials inspect the construction of a stand in the Rotunda, where President-elect Donald Trump is due to take the oath of office on Monday, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

President-elect Donald Trump arrived in the Washington area on Saturday evening for a celebration of his return to power ahead of an inauguration ceremony that has been upended by record cold temperatures.

Trump flew aboard an Air Force plane sent by outgoing President Joe Biden to the Republican's base in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump prepared his transition after winning the Nov. 5 election over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. His wife, Melania, daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, accompanied him on Saturday's flight.

After arriving at Dulles airport in suburban Virginia, Trump traveled to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington.

Elvis Presley impersonator Leo Days serenaded the incoming president and first lady ahead of a reception for about 500 guests and fireworks display. An aide posted a video on social media showing the singer crooning as the Trumps watched.

The 78-year-old Trump is due to hold a rally with supporters inside the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington on Sunday, the eve of his inauguration, as well as a post-inauguration event Monday afternoon.

Frigid weather forecast for Monday prompted Trump to move the inauguration ceremonies from the iconic west front of the US Capitol building indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, and the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capital One Arena.

In the Capitol Rotunda, Trump will be sworn in at 12 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) then deliver an inaugural address, a speech that typically sets the tone for the president's four-year term. He told NBC News the theme would be "unity and strength, and also the word ‘fairness.’"

It will be the first time since Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in January 1985 that the big event has been moved indoors.

CROWDS WITHOUT SEATS IN DC

Most of the more than 220,000 ticketed guests who had been due to watch from the US Capitol grounds will be unable to view the swearing-in inside the building. Just a fraction will be able to fit inside the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena where the inauguration will be broadcast and parade entertainers and participants are expected to perform.

On Saturday, Trump fans who had planned to attend the inauguration were already walking around downtown Washington.

Arthur Caisse, a 78-year-old retired professor, and his brother Richard Caisse, a 64-year-old small business owner, had traveled from Connecticut to see Trump’s second inauguration, after coming for the launch of his first term in 2017.

"It’s so disappointing because all of us traveled so long and far to get here, and then to go through the congressional process to get tickets to the inauguration. Finally we got tickets, now, boom. They’re saying we may not even be able to go to the (National) Mall," Arthur Caisse said.

"I’m not disappointed because on Monday we’re getting our country back," Richard Caisse chimed in.

Debbie Koch, a 60-year-old information technology professional who traveled from Wisconsin with her sister, said they were still planning to attend the Sunday night arena rally if they can get inside.

"We don’t know for sure," she said. "We’re just excited to be here."

Asked on Saturday how they would manage the crowds of Trump inauguration ticket holders who would not fit into the Capitol Rotunda or the stadium, the Secret Service referred the question to event organizers.

Trump's inauguration committee didn't respond to requests for more information on Saturday.

Once he returns to the White House on Monday afternoon, Trump is expected to begin signing dozens of executive orders and directives to crack down on migration, boost US energy production and other priorities.

Trump, whose first term lasted from 2017 to 2021, had refused to attend the inauguration of Biden, who defeated him in 2020. He left Washington for Florida ahead of the ceremony, vowing "we will be back in some form."

Two weeks earlier, his supporters had attacked the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, seeking to delay lawmakers from certifying Biden's victory.

Biden will attend Trump's inauguration ceremony on Monday.