Syrian on trial in Austria for suspected killing of 20 Assad troops
Syrian security forces.
(Reuters) A Syrian asylum seeker went on trial in Austria on Wednesday accused of killing 20 government soldiers fighting for President Bashar al-Assad near the city of Homs, a court spokesman said.
Austria has jailed several people for “belonging to a terrorist organization”, a charge usually leveled against foreign or local fighters fighting in Syria alongside Islamic State militants.
But the 27-year-old suspect in the Innsbruck case is not accused of being a member of any outlawed militant group, the court spokesman said. It is the first case in Austria to involve the suspected killing of troops loyal to Assad.