A 33-year-old Syrian man suspected of commanding a unit of 20 ISIS militants is on trial in the German city of Frankfurt on charges of membership of a terrorist organization. Prosecutors allege that the man served as an "emir" in the Syrian civil war, carrying an assault rifle in the service of ISIS. The accused declined on Wednesday to answer the charges or questions regarding his identity but will participate in the trial during its course, German News Agency (dpa) quoted his defense lawyer as saying. According to the charge sheet, the man joined ISIS in 2013, rising rapidly in the ranks. He is alleged to have organized checkpoints and patrols in and around the city of al-Raqqa in northern Syria, seizing two men as hostages in this capacity. The accused is said to have entered Germany as a refugee in June 2015, living in the western city of Kassel. He has been in custody since November 2018 after a police special unit detained him when details of his role in the Syrian war become known, dpa said.