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| Europe |
| Iraqi on trial in Germany denies links to Ansar al-Islam group |
| 2005-05-31 |
| MUNICH - An Iraqi man on trial in Germany denied on Tuesday he was a member of the Kurdish guerrilla group Ansar al-Islam which is believed to have links with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted man. Lokman Amin Mohammed, 31, is accused of being the mastermind of the group's cell in the southern German city of Munich and a key part of its European network. It is the first time a suspect has been tried in Germany on charges of belonging to a terrorist group which is active abroad. The German penal code was changed to include the charge in 2002 following the September 11 attacks on the United States the previous year. Mohammed admitted he had helped Iraqis to enter Germany in 2002 but said he wanted to help them escape persecution by Saddam Hussein's regime. One of his defence lawyers said the Iraqis in question were mainly women and children, but federal prosecutors maintain that Mohammed was a member of Ansar al-Islam until November 2002 and say that the Iraqis he brought into Germany were Kurdish fighters who were planning to carry out attacks in Europe. He is also accused of helping to evacuate a badly injured high-ranking Ansar al-Islam explosives expert from Iraq and arranging for him to have medical treatment in Britain. Based in northern Iraq, Ansar al-Islam ran a network of fundamental Muslim guerrillas until their bases were destroyed by Kurdish and US forces during the US-led invasion. US commanders believe they are still active in the Iraqi insurgency and have links to Zarqawi, Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq. Mohammed came to Germany in 2000, had valid residency papers, and led a seemingly normal life, working on the production line of carmaker BMW. He was arrested in Munich in December 2003 on a people smuggling charge before the investigation deepened. His trial opened in April but was immediately adjourned after new evidence came to light from telephone taps. |
| Posted by:Steve |