A former Dutch soldier who says he went to Syria to fight against IS forces, will not be prosecuted after all, the public prosecution department has decided.

The case against Jitse Akse will be dropped because of a lack of evidence that he was involved in killing IS fighters, the department said in a statement.

Akse was arrested in January after going public with his support for the Kurdish militia YPG and saying on Facebook he had killed Isis fighters while working with the YPG.

The public prosecution department said Akse had told investigating judges his claims were ‘nothing more than an exciting story to please the media’. He then refused to comment futher and invoked his right to silence.

Given the lack of supporting evidence for his claims and the fact they allegedly took place in a war zone, made it impossible to determine if he had been involved in serious crimes, the department said.

Thousands of people signed a petition opposing his arrest. Dutch nationals who take up arms against IS fall under Dutch criminal law and can be prosecuted if they commit crimes.