German war crimes accusations against grenade-throwing suspect

Prosecutors in Germany have accused a man of war crimes and murder for allegedly launching a grenade into a gathering of civilians in Syria.

At least seven people were murdered in Damascus in 2014 when a man is accused of firing an explosive device at a group of civilians waiting for food.

Federal prosecutors in Germany stated in a statement that the stateless individual, who cannot be recognized owing to German privacy laws, threw a grenade from an anti-tank weapon onto a crowd at Rejeh Square in the Syrian capital’s Yarmouk area.

They awaited humanitarian food assistance from UNRWA, the United Nations organization for Palestinian refugees.

At least seven individuals were killed and three others were injured in the incident on 23 March 2014, including a six-year-old toddler.

Prosecutors stated the individual was a member of the Free Palestine Movement, which ruled Syria’s Yarmouk region at the time on behalf of President Bashar Assad.

From July 2013 until April 2015, the Syrian government fenced off Yarmouk, which began as a Palestinian refugee camp. This resulted in food, water, and medical supply shortages.

The individual was charged with war crimes, seven counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and three charges of bodily damage at a regional court in Berlin.

Prosecutors did not elaborate on how he arrived in Germany. The guy was caught for the first time in Berlin on 4 August.

Germany’s “universal jurisdiction” principle permits the prosecution of major crimes committed abroad.

It resulted in the January conviction of a senior Syrian colonel for crimes against humanity in a landmark trial.