PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prosecutors on Wednesday brought terror charges against a local man who had allegedly joined the Islamic State group in Syria and was recently repatriated.
A statement from the prosecutor’s office said the suspect only identified as S. Q. allegedly joined IS fighters in the Syrian city of Raqqa, after entering through Turkey. He allegedly received training in Syria and took an active part in fighting.
He was handed over to Kurdish forces and was finally repatriated to Kosovo in July this year.
If convicted, the defendant faces up to 10 years in jail.
Kosovo authorities have said that fewer than 90 of their citizens remain in Syria, a few former fighters but mostly widows of extremists and a few children.
Two years ago, Kosovo repatriated from Syria 110 of its citizens, mostly women and children. Many of the adults have been charged with terrorism-linked activities and are serving jail terms.
More than 400 people from Kosovo are thought to have joined extremist groups in Syria and Iraq.
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