(AFP) Belgium on Tuesday launched an investigation into how a Syrian man arrested last week on suspicion of carrying out war crimes for the Islamic State group was granted refugee status.
The 38-year-old, who left Syria in 2015, was detained over the executions of civilians who refused to swear allegiance to the jihadists near the historic city of Palmyra, federal prosecutors told Belga news agency.
The role of the suspect within the jihadist group and whether he participated in the killings in central Syria remains to be determined by an investigation led by Belgian state prosecutors.
