German prosecutors press terror charges against Syrian man

BERLIN – Prosecutors say they’ve pressed charges against a 29-year-old Syrian man who allegedly was a member of a foreign terror group and violated the war weapons control law.

The man, whose name was not given, allegedly joined the Islamist Ahrar al-Sham insurgent group in Syria from 2013 to 2014.

Frankfurt prosecutors said Tuesday he allegedly volunteered as a fighter and donated 50,000 Syrian lira, then worth about 250 euros (284 dollars) to the group.

He was also in possession of a Kalashnikov and posed for photos for recruiting purposes showing him on pickup trucks using an anti-aircraft gun and a machine cannon.

The man was detained last February when he entered Germany for the second time. He first came to Germany as an asylum-seeker in 2015 but left again in 2017.