| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Europe | |
| Islamic Terror Trial Opens in New High-Tech German Court | |
| 2004-02-10 | |
| Germany’s high-tech, high-security court on the outskirts of DÃŒsseldorf makes its debut Tuesday when three members of the Jordanian-based al-Tawhid Islamic group appear in the dock. The two Jordanians and one Palestinian, aged between 30 and 39 years, are accused of planning to attack two Jewish restaurants in DÃŒsseldorf and a Jewish community center in Berlin. The three were arrested in April 2002 along with five other suspects. An Algerian man, accused of supporting the terror cell, also faces charges. In an earlier trial last November, al-Tawhid member Though the trial is expected to be followed closely by security and terrorism experts battling Islamic terrorism worldwide, its physical surroundings are likely to generate equal interest. The new €37 million security court, built in a record 12 months and designed to thwart any terrorist attack, resembles a fortress. Surrounded by high barbed-wire fences, it is built with bomb proof concrete, bullet proof glass and outfitted with metal detectors. The entire building is monitored by security cameras. The roof even boasts a helipad so that high-profile criminals can be airlifted in without having to pass through crowds of on-lookers. Security arrangements within the building are also stringent. During proceedings, defendants will be separated from the public by bullet-proof glass and held in custody in one of 19 cells. Extra cells have been built to detain any troublemakers among the public. The designers of the sophisticated court room have also taken a cue from previous trials in the old courtroom, according to news agency dpa. For instance Muslim visitors attending the trial of the radical "caliph of Cologne," Metin Kaplan, flooded the visitors’ restrooms by using the toilet basins for ritual washing. Now, the new building features a footbath for Muslims in the public lavatories.
| |
| Posted by:TS |
| #2 Now, the new building features a footbath for Muslims Yeah, non-Muslims call it a toilet. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-2-10 7:51:37 PM |
| #1 The two Jordanians and one Palestinian, aged between 30 and 39 years, are accused of planning to attack two Jewish restaurants in Düsseldorf and a Jewish community center in Berlin. The choice was either to do that or to go get a job. |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-2-10 6:34:38 PM |