Suspected pro-Assad regime war criminal arrested in Berlin

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

Berlin (AA) - The German Federal Prosecutor's Office (GBA) arrested a Syrian pro-Assad regime supporter in Berlin on Wednesday on charges of war crimes, murder, and assault in Syria.

According to the GBA, the accused Mouafak Al D. is said to have fired a grenade from an anti-tank weapon into a crowd on a square in the Syrian capital Damascus in March 2014.

Seven people were killed and three seriously injured, including a 6-year-old child.

The victims were civilians waiting in line for food donations from the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East.

The GBA accuses the suspect of war crimes, including murder in seven cases and dangerous bodily harm in three cases.

A judge from the Federal Court of Justice will decide during the day whether the suspect will remain in custody pending investigation.

Earlier in the day, Berlin police had also searched the apartment of the accused in the capital.

German authorities claim Mouafak Al D. was also a member of a Palestinian group fighting for the Assad regime at the time.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million remain displaced, according to UN estimates.