German court to rule in trial of 3 Iraqis accused of plot to kill former PM
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A court is expected to deliver its verdict Tuesday in the trial of three Iraqi men accused of plotting to kill Ayad Allawi, then Iraq's prime minister, during a visit to Germany in 2004.
Ata Abdoulaziz Rashid, Mazen Ali Hussein and Rafik Mohamad Yousef are also charged with membership of Ansar al-Islam, a radical Islamic group linked to al-Qaida. Their trial at the Stuttgart state court began in June 2006.
Prosecutors have called for prison sentences ranging up to 11 years for the defendants, who reject the accusations against them. Defense lawyers have called for the men's acquittal.
The men, who are also suspected of helping to raise funds and organize recruits for Ansar al-Islam, were arrested in pre-dawn raids on December 3, 2004.