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Germany jails Iraqi PM plotters | Germany jails Iraqi PM plotters |
(41 minutes later) | |
A German court has convicted three Iraqi men of plotting to kill former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi during a visit to Germany in 2004. | A German court has convicted three Iraqi men of plotting to kill former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi during a visit to Germany in 2004. |
The court in Stuttgart also convicted them of belonging to Ansar al-Islam - a group reportedly linked to al-Qaeda. | |
Ata Abdoulaziz Rashid was jailed for 10 years; Rafik Mohamad Yousef and Mazen Ali Hussein were sentenced to eight and seven-and-a-half years respectively. | Ata Abdoulaziz Rashid was jailed for 10 years; Rafik Mohamad Yousef and Mazen Ali Hussein were sentenced to eight and seven-and-a-half years respectively. |
The three men, who are all ethnic Kurds, denied the charges. | The three men, who are all ethnic Kurds, denied the charges. |
'Hypothetical' attack | |
The men, aged between 27 and 34, were arrested in Berlin, Augsburg and Stuttgart in December 2004. | |
During the trial, prosecutors had argued that the three planned to attack Mr Allawi during a business meeting in central Berlin. | |
Lawyers for the three co-defendants had said they had no access to weapons or explosives and talked about an attack only hypothetically. | |
Mr Allawi visited Germany in 2004 to discuss investment and military training in Iraq. | |
Prior to his brief visit, Ansar al-Islam - a predominantly Kurdish group operating in northern Iraq - had urged its followers to assassinate Mr Allawi. | |
Mr Allawi's government took office in June 2004 when the US-led coalition handed over sovereignty 14 months after invading Iraq. | Mr Allawi's government took office in June 2004 when the US-led coalition handed over sovereignty 14 months after invading Iraq. |
He stepped down after elections in January 2005. | He stepped down after elections in January 2005. |
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