Dutch authorities arrest alleged Syrian Islamic State security chief

Dutch authorities arrest alleged Syrian Islamic State security chief
Dutch authorities have arrested a 37-year-old who was allegedly a security chief of the Islamic State in Syria.
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Dutch police arrested a man accused of committing crimes for the Islamic State [ARIS OIKONOMOU/AFP via Getty Images]

The Dutch national prosecutor's office on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 37-year-old Syrian refugee who is accused of committing war crimes as a security official for the Islamic State (IS) group.

Prosecutors said in a statement the man sought asylum in the Netherlands in 2019. A special Dutch war crimes police team received information that the suspect, who has not been identified, had a leading role in the security service of IS from 2015 to 2018. He had the same role previously in the Nusra Front, formerly al Qaeda’s wing in Syria, they said.

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According to the Dutch authorities he worked in and around Yarmouk, in the southern suburbs of Damascus, the location of a large Palestinian refugee camp.

The suspect will appear before a judge in The Hague on Friday.

Under Dutch law, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on foreign soil can be prosecuted under universal jurisdiction if a suspect resides in the Netherlands.

(Reuters)