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German Taxpayers Pay for 9/11 Plotter to Continue Education
A Moroccan accused of helping the Sept. 11 suicide hijackers, but acquitted by a German court, may continue his university education in Germany, a court ruled on Tuesday. Abdelghani Mzoudi had been charged with aiding and abetting the murder of about 3,000 people and belonging to a terrorist group, the Hamburg cell of al Qaeda that prosecutors say led the attacks. But in February he was acquitted. The court in the northern port city argued it was not convinced of his innocence, but that there was insufficient proof to convict him. Mzoudi is facing a prosecution appeal against the acquittal. A different Hamburg court ruled on Tuesday that Mzoudi must be allowed to continue his education at the publicly-funded Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. He studies information technology and electrical engineering there. The university had attempted to prevent Mzoudi from continuing his studies on the grounds of what it described as his "radical Islamic fundamentalist" beliefs. Mzoudi challenged this in the court, which ruled that his interim grades were the sole criteria for determining his eligibility to continue his education. Mzoudi's friend and countryman Mounir el Motassadeq is the only man to have been convicted over the 2001 attacks. Last year Motassadeq was sentenced to 15 years by the same Hamburg court that acquitted Mzoudi. Earlier this year, Motassadeq won the right to a retrial which is currently under way in Hamburg. Germany wants to deport both Moroccans once all legal proceedings are concluded. The city state of Hamburg argued both posed a "particular danger" to Germany. Three of the Sept. 11 suicide pilots also studied in Hamburg. Posted by: TS(vice girl) 2004-08-24 |
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