ISIS arrests 3 on corruption charges
Raqqa – The Islamic State (ISIS) radical group on Wednesday arrested three of its own jihadists on corruption charges, local sources in Syria’s Raqqa reported.
Three members of the ISIS-led Department of Public Services, known as Diwan al-Khadamat, were arrested by the Islamic Police in Raqqa city.
The group claimed that the arrestees have been involved in stealing thousands of dollars from the Diwan al-Khadamat and haven’t performed their duties “as assigned to them by the Caliphate leadership”.
“Abu Hassan Kahreba, Abu Mahmoud and Abu Salem Awejan were taken into ISIS custody in Raqqa for stealing and refusing to follow the Caliphate’s rules,” media activist Khaled al-Omar told ARA News, citing an official from the ISIS-led Sharia Court.
The city of Raqqa in northeastern Syria is a de facto capital for the ISIS self-proclaimed Caliphate.
“ISIS is trying to show the people of Raqqa that anyone who violates the group’s rules will be punished, even if the perpetrator is one of their own jihadists,” al-Omar said.
This is not the first time that ISIS punishes its own members on corruption charges.
In March 2016, the group executed three of its own militants in Deir ez-Zor Governorate in eastern Syria on similar charges. A Tunisian and two Algerian members of the extremist group were publicly shot dead on charges of corruption in the city of al-Mayadeen in Deir ez-Zor.
“The dead bodies of the three jihadis were crucified near the al-Baloum square in central al-Mayadeen on Monday evening,” rights activist Anass Jabir told ARA News.
Jabir, who witnessed the execution, said that an ISIS Sharia official read a statement before the execution was carried out, accusing the three foreign jihadis of “robbery”.
“The Sharia Court convicted the three militants of corruption for receiving bribes from local people in al-Mayadeen,” the source said. “The ISIS-linked Sharia Court insisted that the bodies of the three militants will remain crucified for three days, in a bid to terrorize its members,” the source reported.
The three jihadis were members of the ISIS-led Islamic Police in al-Mayadeen city. The group found them guilty of exploiting their official position for personal interests.