Suspected ISIS security boss arrested in the Netherlands; Requested asylum
A 37-year-old man suspected of holding a senior leadership role in the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra was arrested in Arkel, Zuid-Holland on Tuesday. The Syrian man was believed to be in a top position in the security services of both terrorist organizations at various points, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced.
“It is suspected that from his position at IS, he also contributed to war crimes that the organization committed in Syria,” the OM said. This occurred between 2013 and 2018 during the civil war in that country, which began two years earlier and is still ongoing.
The suspect applied for asylum in the Netherlands in 2019. He then settled in Arkel the following year. The village is part of the Molenlanden municipality and is just outside of Gorinchem.
His arrest was the result of a tip about his past, which triggered an investigation into his background. That uncovered information suggesting that he helped lead the security service at IS from 2015 to 2018, the OM said. “Before that, he supposedly held the same position for two years at another terrorist organization: Jabhat al-Nusra. He is said to have held both positions in and around the Yarmouk refugee camp in the south of the Syrian capital Damascus.”
He will face a remand hearing in The Hague on January 20. During that hearing, a magistrate can extend his initial detention by a period of 14 days while the investigation into his background continues.
