The public prosecution department is taking legal action against a Dutch jihadi for war crimes, the first time it has taken such a step, news agency ANP said on Monday.

Oussama A, from Utrecht, posted a picture on Facebook showing himself in Syria laughing next to the body of a man who had been crucified, judges were told at his remand hearing at the high security court at Schiphol airport.

This, the department said, breaches international treaties which require prisoners to be treated with decency after they have captured, whether dead or alive.

A and Reda Nidalha, from Leiden have been held in custody since they were sent back to the Netherlands in July. They are accused of involvement in terrorism between early 2014 and November 1, 2016 when they were arrested in Turkey.

They were sentenced to six years in Jail in Turkey but released pending their appeal, at which point they were returned to the Netherlands.