Prosecutors charge Syrian doctor with murder, torture

BERLIN: A Syrian doctor living in Germany who was arrested on suspicion of having committed crimes against humanity in Syria faces more charges including one case of murder, German prosecutors said on Monday. The suspect, identified as Alaa M., was arrested on June 19.

He was first charged with two instances of torturing detainees at a prison run by Syrian intelligence services in the city of Homs in 2011. But prosecutors said he now stands accused of far more violations than initially thought -- including for allegedly killing one person and another 18 counts of torture.

Alaa M. was a doctor at the military prison in Homs in 2011 when he allegedly carried out horrific abuses including setting fire to the genitals of a teenager. In 2012, he sought out a detainee whose wounds became infected and who had been transferred to a military hospital. Together with two other officers, Alaa M. allegedly kicked and beat the prisoner, and poured flammable liquids on his wounds before setting them on fire.