Munich Syria returnee terror trial begins

As 27-year-old Harun P. was led on Tuesday into the Munich courtroom where he faces terror charges, he hid his face behind an envelope before turning his back on photographers and pulling the hood of his sweater over his head.

German federal prosecutors accuse him of being a member of a terror group in Syria, in this case the radical organization Junud al-Sham, which roughly translates to "Soldiers of Syria." He faces charges of preparing for a violent attack in Syria, collaborative murder and attempting to incite murder. His trial is taking place at the higher regional court in Munich.

German prosecutors say the goal of Junud al-Sham is to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and form a state based on Shariah, or strict Islamic law, working to achieve that aim through military operations, sometimes in cooperation with other terrorist groups. Other groups fighting in Syria with similar aims include the self-styled "Islamic State" and al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

Harun P., who lived in Munich when in Germany, was said to have traveled to Syria in December 2013 and straight away joined up with Junud al-Sham to fight in the civil war. He allegedly received training in close-combat and how to use weapons, serving as a guard and participating in reconnaissance missions.

The German man was allegedly one of about 1,600 jihadis who took part in a February 2014 attack on the central prison in Aleppo, in which at least two government soldiers and five inmates were killed. He is also accused of trying to convince an officer of Junud al-Sham to murder a 16-year-old girl, also from Germany, in January 2014, because he was afraid that upon her return she would reveal details about him to German security authorities.

Harun P. was detained in early April 2014 at an airport in the Czech capital, Prague, while allegedly trying to return to Germany, and had been imprisoned awaiting trial ever since.

T-shirt controversy

In the days before the trial was due to begin, controversy broke out over a T-shirt once worn by the judge in the case. The German tabloid newspaper "Bild" reports that in a photo published on the social networking site Facebook, apparently from a birthday celebration, he was wearing a T-Shirt featuring the words "Fatih Sultan Mehmet - The Conquerer."

Fatih Sultan Mehmet conquered the city of Constantinople, now Istanbul, in the year 1453.

Europe on high alert

The trial, one of several involving Germans allegedly involved with extremist groups abroad, comes as much of Europe remains on edge following the Paris terror attacks at the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a kosher supermarket.

Authorities throughout Europe are also working on how to contend with the hundreds of citizens who have left to fight alongside extremists in conflict regions like Syria and Iraq and the danger they pose on their return.

Police have conducted anti-terror raids and made arrests in several European cities, including Berlin, during the past week.

se/rc (dpa, AFP)

Editor's note: Deutsche Welle is bound by German law and the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.