A Dusseldorf court on Friday sentenced a 33-year-old man to four years in prison for membership of a terrorist organization abroad.
The Dusseldorf Higher Regional considered it proven that the man worked for the secret police of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia in his home country of Iraq between June 2014 and his flight to Germany in March 2015.
As an IS member, he is said to have spied on people in his neighbourhood and passed on the information to higher-ranking IS members.
However, the defendant was acquitted of further charges. Among other things, the man, who most recently lived in the western German city of Wuppertal, was accused of involvement in public acts of punishment by IS, such as the execution of prisoners.
Contrary to the indictment, the accusations could not be proven with certainty, even after contradictory witness statements, said the presiding judge.
When sentencing the man, he took into account that the offence was committed 10 years ago and that the man left IS voluntarily and after a short time.
However, the fact that he worked for a particularly dangerous organization due to its size and brutal practices weighed against him.
After several months of proceedings, the prosecution had demanded eight years in prison for the charges of IS membership and aiding and abetting war crimes such as murder.
During the trial, the defendant consistently denied the allegations and his defence sought an acquittal.
The verdict is not yet final and may be appealed by the Federal Public Prosecutor General in Germany’s Supreme Court.
The man was already investigated in 2017 on the basis of information from his ex-wife. However, the proceedings were discontinued at the time.
New investigations were launched following a criminal complaint from a witness.
The suspect was arrested and has been in custody since autumn 2023. The trial against him began on August 1 and lasted 19 trial days.