A Moroccan man has been jailed for 15 years by a German court for being an accessory to murder in the world's first trial directly linked to the September 11 attacks on the United States.
15 years is a good start.
Mounir El Motassadeq, a 28-year-old electrical engineering student, has also been convicted of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and membership of a terrorist organisation. Prosecutors had demanded the maximum 15-year sentence, saying the accused was aware of the hijackers' plans and provided logistical back-up for the Hamburg-based Al Qaeda cell led by Mohamed Atta. Defence lawyers argued the accused did little more than befriend fellow Muslims and insisted his Afghan training did not make him a violent extremist.
"He just went to Afghanistan because of their reputation as a world leader in — religous training." |