In the Netherlands, prosecutors have sought a 17.5-year sentence for the alleged ISIS leader
The Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking a 17.5-year prison sentence for 41-year-old Syrian national Aikhama A. He is accused of being one of the leaders of the terrorist organization ISIS.
“On Wednesday, the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office requested a 17.5-year prison sentence for 41-year-old Ayham A. of Arkell, in the province of South Holland. He is suspected of playing a leadership role in the terrorist organization ‘Islamic State,’” the statement said.
According to the prosecutor’s office, from 2013 to 2018, the man headed ISIS’s security service in southern Damascus.
As the prosecutor’s office notes, the IS security service detained people suspected of espionage or treason. In detention centers, according to the prosecution, people were tortured and killed. Among the crimes described were beatings with whips, the severing of hands, burning, and killings using explosives.
Several witnesses refer to A. by the name Abu Khaled Al-Amni. This is the alias he allegedly used. “Amni” was the name of ISIS’s security service. A.’s name also appears in materials collected by the U.S. military during combat operations against ISIS. In addition, the man was allegedly photographed and videotaped alongside other leaders of the group.
According to the prosecutor’s office, in April 2015, ISIS established control over the Yarmouk camp.
It detained people it considered spies, defectors, or traitors. According to the prosecutor’s office, they were tortured and killed.
A. applied for asylum in the Netherlands in early 2019. In 2020, he moved to Arkkel. Dutch law enforcement launched an investigation after receiving information from the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. In January 2023, A. was arrested.
According to the prosecutor’s office, A. controlled a network of several detention centers. The prosecutor elaborated on the numerous crimes through which, he said, ISIS forced the population to live in hell for years.
Public executions by beheading took place regularly at the detention centers.
A. denies the charges against him. He claims that witnesses are confusing him with other people. The prosecution called his testimony completely implausible.
The trial will resume on Thursday. The proceedings are scheduled to conclude on September 23.
This was reported by NU.
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