(Reuters) A Hungarian court on Wednesday began the trial of a Syrian man accused of terrorism and crimes against humanity as a military leader of Islamic State near the city of Homs in 2015, saying he participated in the murders of dozens of people.
The 27-year-old, identified as F. Hassan, was charged in September after an international investigation led to his capture in Budapest’s main airport at the end of last year.
He denies the charges and said he was in Turkey, not Syria, at the time the atrocities took place.
Prosecutor Andras Urbanyi told the court F. Hassan deserted from the Syrian army in 2011, then joined Islamic State sometime before 2014. He became commander of an IS unit and actively recruited members.
