Gambian alleged hit-squad driver detained in Germany

German police have detained a Gambian man who they suspect of participating in crimes against humanity as a driver for a feared paramilitary unit for former President Yahya Jammeh.

The Federal Public Prosecutor General called the suspect just Bai L, under German privacy rules which don't allow the authorities to release the surname of suspects.

Bai L is accused of driving officers from the paramilitary unit known as the Junglers, which has been described as a hit squad for Mr Jammeh, to locations where they fired on the president's opponents.

One of the victims was a journalist who was a critic of Mr Jammeh's government who was shot dead in 2004 and another was a lawyer who was attacked in 2003.

Mr Jammeh led The Gambia for 22 years and has been accused of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention.

He was removed from power in 2017 and the Gambian government set up a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) to investigate the alleged rights violations.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AFP