German Court Convicts Syrian Man for Abducting U.N. Peacekeepers, Reported by Reuters

A Syrian man residing in Germany has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his involvement in the kidnapping of a United Nations peacekeeper near Damascus four years ago.

The individual, whose name has not been disclosed, was found guilty of being an accessory to the abduction, according to a statement from the German court overseeing the case. However, specific details regarding his actions were not provided.

The U.N. peacekeeper, who was assigned to the demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights, was kidnapped in February 2013, as reported by the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart.

In January 2016, prosecutors identified the man as Suliman A.-S., under German privacy regulations, and indicated suspicions that he was associated with the Islamic militant group Nusra Front. The group allegedly demanded a ransom from the United Nations, the Canadian government, and the peacekeeper’s family in exchange for his release. The court did not disclose the man’s nationality.

The peacekeeper ultimately escaped eight months after being taken captive, according to the court. It was noted that there was insufficient evidence to determine whether Nusra Front was responsible for the kidnapping or if the accused was indeed a member of the group.

The court stated, “The accused was found guilty under the Code on International Criminal Law of being an accessory to a war crime against a peacekeeping mission that involved kidnapping for ransom, three counts of attempted robbery by blackmail, and grievous unlawful detention.”