Germany probes Syrian asylum-seeker after he is caught on video saying that he fought for ISIS

Migrants hold a "Help us" placard as they wait at the border crossing between Rigonce in Slovenia and Hamica in Croatia on Sept 19, 2015. PHOTO: EPA

BERLIN (AFP) - German police are investigating an asylum-seeker on suspicion that he fought for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday.

The suspect is a Syrian national and lives in an asylum-seeker shelter in the north-east region of Brandenburg, the newspaper reported, quoting security sources.

The man had allegedly told other migrants living in the centre that he had fought for ISIS, and killed people.

But his claims were filmed secretly with a mobile telephone by other residents of the shelter, leading to the probe.

Investigators are now trying to determine if the Syrian was indeed a member of ISIS, the newspaper reported.

A spokesman for the federal police declined to confirm or deny the report.

Despite the case, federal police do not believe that Islamists are infiltrating Germany through the influx of refugees.

Meanwhile, hundreds of mostly Syrian migrants who had been blocked for days by the police in the northwestern Turkish city of Edirne while trying to reach the nearby Greek border have agreed to abandon their roadside protest.

A group of around 500 people, who had been engaged in a stand-off with riot police on the road leading into the city since Tuesday, lifted their makeshift camp last Saturday night and left the area in buses provided by local authorities, an AFP photographer witnessed.

Some joined a larger group of around 1,500 migrants still waiting inside the city for the chance to continue their journey over land to Greece, a mere 10km away, or Bulgaria, which is about twice that distance.

Others took buses back to Istanbul, about 250km to the east.

At a meeting with a delegation of refugees on Saturday evening Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had appealed to the refugees to "end their protest by Monday", he wrote on Twitter.

"The voices of our Syrian brothers have been heard by the entire world. They must now return to a normal life," Mr Davutoglu wrote, promising more aid to the more than two million Syrian refugees living in Turkey to prevent them trying to illegally cross into Europe.

"We are ready to send people to countries who open their doors to them, but unfortunately no country has given a favourable response so far," he added.

The refugees gathered in Edirne, who included a large number of children, has been demanding to be allowed travel to Europe by land instead of risking their lives in overcrowded migrant boats in the Aegean Sea.

On Saturday evening, police used batons to repel a group of around people, who tried to storm police lines, chanting "open the doors".

Many of the Syrians pouring into Europe have been living in Turkey for months, sometimes years. They complain that Turkey's failure to grant them full refugee status has made it a struggle to access basic services and jobs.

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