3 convicted in Germany for plot to kill Iraqi leader

A German court on Tuesday convicted three alleged members of the terrorist organization Ansar al-Islam of plotting to kill the Iraqi prime minister on a visit to Berlin in 2004. A state court in Stuttgart sentenced the three to prison sentences ranging from 7½ years to 10 years for conspiring to murder Ayad Allawi, who was prime minister at the time, and for membership in the radical Islamist terrorist organization, which has been linked to Al Qaeda. Two years after the trial began, the verdict was hailed by terrorism experts as a victory for German counterterrorism efforts and a sign that prosecutors can turn intelligence and widely publicized arrests into convictions in court. A court statement said one of the men, identified only as Ata A., was "an important, leading member" of the terrorist organization with "regular... [read full story]