Two refugees went on trial in Munich on Wednesday March 30. Twenty-two-year-old Azad R. and 24-year-old Kamel T.H.J. are accused of fighting for Syrian Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham near Aleppo between 2013 and 2014. The group is fighting against the Syrian government and supports the establishment of an Islamic state under Shariah, but are opponents of ISIS.
Judge and spokeswoman for Munich’s higher regional court, Barbara Stockinger, explained how the two men ended up in Germany: “One of the two defendants was injured during fighting and went to Turkey for medical treatment, accompanied by the other defendant. From Turkey, both of them then came to Germany with the refugee flood and ended up in Bavaria. They arrived in Germany around June 2015. In April 2016, they were taken into custody.”
If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.