Three Swedish citizens are being detained on probable grounds suspected of serious war crimes in Syria, announces the Prosecution Authority.
According to German authorities, they are suspected of having participated in an armed attack on a peaceful demonstration.
The three men, aged 50-55, include two from western Sweden and one from the Stockholm area. They were arrested early on Wednesday morning and were later detained.
Two of the men are suspected of serious war crimes committed in Syria between July and September 2012. The suspicions against the third man extend to September 2013. All three are previously unconvicted, according to TT's information.
The operation was carried out within the framework of cooperation between Swedish and German prosecutors and police, with the support of Europol and Eurojust.
In parallel, five people have been arrested in Germany. They are suspected, according to Chamber Prosecutor and Investigative Leader Ulrika Bentelius Egelrud, of crimes that "partially" relate to the same incident as the Swedish citizens are suspected of.
The German Federal Prosecution Authority states that those arrested in both countries are suspected of having been part of a regime-loyal armed movement.
Furthermore, it is stated that all suspects are believed to have participated in a violent attack on a peaceful regime-critical demonstration in Yarmuk outside the capital Damascus on July 13, 2012.
Those arrested in Germany are said to have opened fire on demonstrators, resulting in at least six deaths. It is unclear whether those arrested in Sweden participated in the killings.
