Overview

• Federal Criminal Police arrested Syrian national Anwar S. in Berlin-Neukölln on Tuesday under a federal warrant issued on September 15.
• Prosecutors accuse him of crimes against humanity—killing, torture and unlawful deprivation of liberty—for alleged actions in Aleppo in 2011.
• He is alleged to have led a Shabiha unit that repeatedly beat civilians after Friday prayers using batons, metal pipes and electroshock devices to quash protests.
• Some detainees were allegedly handed to police or intelligence services where they were abused, and one demonstrator later died near a mosque in Saif Al Dawla.
• He is scheduled to appear before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice for custody decisions as the proceedings move forward.