Designated as a Syrian war criminal – is innocent • Exposed to serious threats
In connection with the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria just over a month ago, posts on various social media and internet platforms began to spread.
Along with gruesome video clips, which showed how back-tied blindfolded men were thrown into a mass grave before being shot dead, it was alleged that a military person responsible for the Tadamon massacre on April 16, 2013 was now living in the Stockholm area. The man was posted with his name, picture and home address.
At the same time, Swedish police received several hundred tips about the designated mass murderer, according to information given to TV4 Nyheterna. The war crimes investigation group of the National Operations Department, Noa, opened a preliminary investigation and took the man in for questioning.
But the investigation has shown that he is completely innocent and has no connection at all to the war crimes in Syria.
– The police have checked these tips and can ascertain that the person who was reported and singled out in social media has nothing to do with the crimes, says a source with insight into police work.
– The police have established it in several different ways. Among other things, establishing identity and this has been done together with other authorities. The police have also interviewed this person and there is nothing to suggest that he is involved in this, quite the opposite.
Live with police protection
The designated man has a similar, but not the same, name as a person responsible for the massacre. There is otherwise no connection to the war crimes.
– It’s someone who added one plus one and then it got a hell of a spread. Because he happens to have a similar name to a person who is known to have committed things in Syria, but who has no connection to Sweden, says TV4 Nyheternas’ source.
The man who was innocently hanged has received a series of serious threats, both via messages and phone calls. He has also been subjected to, among other things, stone throwing, according to the same information. The threat picture has been so serious that a special section within the police had to be called in and deal with it. The man has been moved to a protected location, which is under police surveillance.
– There has been greeting in the home, and when it came to that limit, the police had to take protective measures. You can live with calls and messages, but not physical home visits, says a police source.
Investigations into war crimes
Police officers that TV4 Nyheterna spoke to appeal to the public to stay source critical.
– As a consequence of the recent fall of the Syrian regime, the police’s assessment is that similar publications where people are singled out may occur in the future. The call is therefore not to uncritically share posts like this.
According to information given to TV4 Nyheterna, preliminary investigations are underway by the Swedish police about war crimes in Syria in order to investigate whether the perpetrators may be in Sweden.
– The only thing we know so far in the investigations is that the designated person on social platforms is not involved.
TV4 Nyheterna has been in contact with the police’s national media center, which does not want to comment on the information.