The German Federal Criminal Police arrested on Wednesday Sohail A, a suspected member of the foreign terrorist organizations Liwa Jund al-Rahman and the Islamimc State, on behalf of the Prosecutor General.

The Prosecutor General obtained an arrest warrant from the Federal Court on March 20. The Federal Court granted the permission for two reasons. First, Sohail A is strongly suspected of being a member of terrorist organizations Liwa Jund al Rahman and the Islamic State, which is an offense under section 129a of the Criminal Code. Second, Sohail A is accused of committing war crimes by forcibly transferring individuals to another state, breaching section 8 of the International Criminal Code.

According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, Sohail A also headed the media department of the terrorist organizations and was responsible for the groups’ propaganda.

Liwa Jund al-Rahman, also known as the Brigade of the Soldiers of the Merciful God in English, is an armed rebel group with the objective of removing the Syrian regime by force. Although it identified with the Free Syrian Army in the beginning, it has engaged in protracted hostilities since April 2013. In June 2013, the group launched a “cleansing operation” in the village of Hatlah, which killed and forcibly displaced all Shiites in the region. According to the Prosecutor General, Sohail A had repeatedly glorified the Hatlah incident on various social media platforms.

The German Federal Criminal Police began cracking down on the organization last year. In September 2023, they arrested Amer A, the founder of the organization, and Basel O, a prominent commander of the organization’s combat units.

Sohail A, Amer A and Basel O are all currently in pre-trial detention.