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| Europe |
| Mzoudi acquitted, but still going to be kicked out of Germany |
| 2005-06-09 |
| A German federal court confirmed a "not guilty" verdict on a Moroccan man accused of links to the Sept. 11 attacks, but authorities still want to expel him from Germany. In February 2004, a Hamburg court cleared Abdelghani Mzoudi of being involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The appeals court turned down an appeal by the prosecution on Thursday, saying that there was no sufficient evidence to justify a retrial. Despite the court's decision, a Hamburg interior ministry spokesman said the government would expel Mzoudi on the grounds of "support for a terrorist group." He said that Mzoudi had two weeks to leave Germany voluntarily or be deported to Morocco. Asked how Mzoudi could be deported despite being innocent, the spokesman said: "These are two different things. A criminal offence has to be proven before a court, but under the law on foreigners, suspicion is enough" as basis for deportation. Mzoudi's lawyer, Hartmut Jacobi, said he wouldn't appeal and that he would go home to Morocco. Testimony at Mzoudi's trial showed that he was a friend of lead hijacker Mohamed Atta and other members of the Hamburg cell that led the Sept. 11 attacks. Mzoudi has always denied any knowledge of the plot. He was acquitted last year of complicity in the attacks and of belonging to a terrorist group. The presiding judge at the time described him as a "fringe figure" and said he was being freed because of insufficient evidence against him, not because the court was convinced of his innocence. The trial led to tensions between Germany and the United States because of Washington's refusal to allow al Qaeda detainees to testify. The chief federal prosecutor described the U.S. behavior as "incomprehensible." However, a top U.S. official told reporters in Berlin just before Thursday's decision that Mzoudi's acquittal would not harm relations with Germany. "It is not going to poison our relations," said Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 "It is not going to poison our relations," |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-06-09 16:42 |