Germany arrests two suspected Syria Takfiri militants

German security officials have arrested two Syrians suspected of fighting for Takfiri terrorists in the country amid growing concerns about the backlash of Western-sponsored militancy in Europe.

Federal prosecutors said 30-year-old Abdulmalk A. and 23-year-old Mousa H. A. were arrested in Berlin on Tuesday based on warrants issued last week.

Both men allegedly joined the al-Nusra Front, now called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, in 2012 to fight against the Syrian government, with Abdulmalk A. being appointed as the commander of a unit in eastern Syria.

Prosecutors said Abdulmalk A. is also accused of committing a war crime, saying the man “captured a sniper of the Syrian regime in spring 2013 near the city of Tabqa, forced him to dig his own grave and cut his throat.”

Abdulmalk A. allegedly joined Daesh in mid-2013 and was put in charge of the Euphrates dam near the city of Tabqa, prosecutors pointed out.

Germany has been on high alert since July 2016, when a spate of attacks killed 15 people, including four attackers, and left dozens injured.

In December 2016, a Tunisian man drove a truck into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people. Daesh claimed responsibility for the assault.

Germany’s domestic security and intelligence agency, BfV, warned recently that Takfirism is spreading in the country.