A German jihadist was sentenced to prison today on war crimes charges after posing for pictures in conflict-torn Syria with the severed and impaled heads of two government troops.
Aria Ladjedvardi, aged 21 and with Iranian roots, received a prison term of two years, handed down by the Frankfurt regional court.
The court heard that the man, having been radicalised in Germany, travelled to Syria for at least several weeks in early 2014, where he joined a militant identified only as Vedat V, who remains at large.
In March or April, jihadists including Vedat V attacked a Syrian army checkpoint near the town of Binnish, Idlib province, captured at least two troops, beheaded them and impaled their heads on metal rods.
"The accused posed with the dismembered heads and let himself be photographed three times, so as to mock and belittle the deceased, whom he considered 'dishonourable infidels'" or non-believers, the court said in a statement.