A Syrian asylum seeker has appeared in an Austrian court charged with 20 murders that took place in his home country.
The 27-year-old man, who was arrested in western Austria in June, faces the charge of “murder in the context of terrorism”.
He is accused of shooting unarmed or wounded soldiers following a battle in Homs, Syria.
His lawyers have said that he was severely traumatised at the time.
Austrian media said the suspect told others at a refugee shelter that he had shot dead government soldiers when he was fighting with an Islamist rebel group called the Farouq Brigade.
According to reports, the suspect was placed under investigation when officials were alerted to his account of events in Syria last year.
Austria is unable to extradite the man to face charges in Syria because of the ongoing civil war.
The decision to try him in the country for his alleged crimes committed elsewhere is thought to be a first in Austria.
Killing injured soldiers is prohibited under the Geneva Convention.
Officials have said the actions that he has allegedly described qualified as terrorism and could be prosecuted under international counter-terrorism agreements.
Source: BBC
