Lawyers demand jail remission for German terrorism accused

Feb 9, 2010, 16:24 GMT

Dusseldorf - A German Muslim who gave a detailed account of his terrorist training and the tricks used to avoid military scrutiny is entitled to a big reduction in his jail sentence, a lawyer told a terrorism trial Tuesday.

Fritz Gelowicz, 30, is accused of leading a jihadist cell that allegedly bought 700 kilograms of chemicals to blow up US bases in Germany. Police arrested the trio of Muslims and a helper in 2007 before they could mount any attack.

'He can't ever rejoin an Islamist group,' said defence lawyer Hannes Linke in a summing up as the trial in Dusseldorf drew to a close. 'He's used himself up. No Islamist will ever trust him again.'

All four defendants have admitted charges of membership in a terrorist group. They have described at length in court how the Islamic Jihad Union, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, plots attacks on the West from its bases in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.

They also detailed how people smugglers move trainees into the camps in Waziristan under the noses of security forces.

Last week prosecutors recommended Gelowicz, a convert to Islam, be jailed for 12 and a half years, well under the maximum sentence of 15 years, because he had turned state's evidence.

But Linke told the court the sentence should be reduced to less than 10 years as a reward.

'Gelowicz has given previously unknown insights into the inner workings of Islamist terrorism,' the lawyer said, adding that it was only Gelowicz's decision to cooperate with police that prompted the other three accused to own up as well.

The court is expected to issue its verdict on March 4.