Iraqi jailed for aiding militants

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A German court has sentenced an Iraqi man to two-and-a-half years in prison for supporting the Sunni Islamist militant group, Ansar al-Islam.

The court in Stuttgart convicted Burhan Baraznjy of collecting 12,500 euros ($17,000; £8,760) to help finance the group's activities in Iraq.

Ansar al-Islam is considered one of the main insurgent groups in Iraq and is said to have close links with al-Qaeda.

Baraznjy, 37, was arrested at Frankfurt airport in June 2006.

During the trial, the ethnic Kurd admitted he acted on behalf of a suspected Ansar al-Islam ringleader, identified as "Ata R", who has been accused of plotting to kill the then Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, during a visit to Berlin in 2004.

Baraznjy's sentence was reduced by three months because he largely admitted his guilt and apologised for the crime, the court said.

In another case, an Iraqi identified as Ibrahim R has gone on trial in the northern city of Celle.

He is accused of posting video recordings in which al-Qaeda's leader, Osama Bin Laden, calls for attacks against targets in the West.