GERMANY: Prosecutors shave demanded a 15-year prison sentence for a Moroccan man on trial for allegedly aiding the September 11th attacks as a member of a terrorist cell in Hamburg.
Mr Mounir El Motassadeq (28), a Moroccan student, sat impassively in court yesterday as prosecutors described him as an important associate of Mohamed Atta, believed to have piloted the first plane into the World Trade Centre.
"The defendant was a member of the group led by Atta from the start and supported the attacks with various actions," said Mr Matthias Krauss, assistant state prosecutor.
Mr Motassadeq admits he was a close friend of Mohamed Atta and others but says he knew nothing of their plans.
His admission is the basis of the prosecution case, summed up over four hours yesterday under high security in a Hamburg courtroom.
Mr Motassadeq came to Germany in 1993 to study electronic engineering and told the court during the trial that he was shocked at the attacks.
"In my opinion, violence is never a solution," he said.
He faces over 3,000 counts of being an accessory to murder and of membership of a terrorist organisation. Mr Motassadeq has confessed to managing a bank account owned by Mr Marwan Al Shehi, the man believed to have crashed into the second World Trade Centre tower.
Prosecutors allege this bank account was used to pay for flying lessons in the US. The defendant also admits spending time at a camp in Afghanistan which prosecutors claimed is run by al-Qaeda.
"It's a mosaic, but if you put the small pieces together, you see the overall picture," said Mr Kai Lohse, assistant prosecutor.
Mr Walter Hemberger, the chief prosecutor, said the September 11th plot was "the most terrible terrorist attack in history".
"The defendant decided to sacrifice himself to an ideology that despises humanity. He had a radical Islamic attitude and ... provided important contributions to the attacks," he added.
Mr Motassadeq's lawyers, due to present their closing arguments next week, criticised a decision by the government to refuse on security grounds its request for files dealing with Mr Mohammed Haydar Zammar, an alleged al-Qaeda recruiter currently in Syrian custody.
The court heard emotional testimony last month from relatives of 20 September 11th victims. One relative called for a tough sentence for "the puppets of Osama bin Laden".
A verdict is expected later this month.