Five SAS soldiers arrested over Syria shooting, then redeployed

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 18 Oct, 16:19 · Archive

Five SAS soldiers arrested on suspicion of murder after shooting two people in Syria were sent back to the warzone 48 hours later.

Five SAS soldiers arrested on suspicion of murder after shooting two people during a midnight raid in Syria in July 2022 have submitted legal complaints to the Defence Serious Crimes Unit. The soldiers were on a mission to capture a senior ISIS commander in Deir el-Zor when they encountered two individuals who refused to surrender. Believing their lives were in danger, they opened fire. It later emerged the pair killed were teenagers working for ISIS.

The soldiers were arrested on secret bases in Syria and Iraq, and their homes were raided by the Royal Military Police in 2022. They faced potential life sentences if convicted of double murder. The five men said they were left in limbo for three years before being cleared. During that period, they continued to be deployed on dozens of missions, including helicopter insertions to capture jihadist terrorists in the Syrian desert.

One soldier said they faced psychological pressure parachuting behind enemy lines while being treated like 'members of a criminal organisation'. GB News reports the soldiers were accused of using 'disproportionate force', noting the teenagers were not found to be carrying weapons. The five soldiers now say their treatment was inappropriate and potentially unlawful, and they understand the SAS is not above the law but believe the process did not reflect their unique operational circumstances.

How it is being reported

• British SAS soldiers arrested for murdering teens while hunting Islamic State terrorists 'sent back to Syria'British SAS soldiers who were arrested on suspicion of murdering two teenagers while hunting Islamic State terrorists were forced to serve in Syria despite facing a three-year probe, an investigation has claimed. In July 2022, the five elite troops reportedly participated in a mission to capture a senior leader of an Isis cell in Deir el-Zor. As they were carrying out the daring midnight raid, the soldiers heard alleged gunfire as they were pursing their target through a Syrian field. The troops are said to have come face-to-face with two teenage boys who refused to surrender after being…GB News · 18 Oct, 16:01
• SAS soldiers arrested over murder while hunting ISIS in Syria - then sent back to warzone 48 hours laterFive SAS soldiers have submitted legal complaints to the Defence Serious Crimes Unit after being arrested while on mission inside SyriaThe Mirror · 18 Oct, 15:38

In this story: SAS · ISIS · Syria · Defence Serious Crimes Unit · Royal Military Police · Deir el-Zor

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem