(NL Times) A 37-year-old man suspected of holding a senior leadership role in the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra was arrested in Arkel, Zuid-Holland, on Tuesday. The Syrian man was believed to be in a top position in the security services of both terrorist organizations at various points, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced.
“It is suspected that from his position at IS, he also contributed to war crimes that the organization committed in Syria,” the OM said. This occurred between 2013 and 2018 during the civil war in that country, which began two years earlier and is still ongoing.
The suspect applied for asylum in the Netherlands in 2019. He then settled in Arkel the following year.
