KOBLENZ, Germany - A state court on Monday convicted a German man of Pakistani heritage of membership in al Qaeda and sentenced him to eight years in prison for his active support of the terrorist group.
A state court in Koblenz convicted 47-year-old Aleem Nasir after an eight-month trial during which he made no statement. He has been held in detention since his February 2008 arrest at his home in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Prosecutors had claimed Nasir supported al Qaeda for years by raising money, distributing propaganda and recruiting new members.
He was also found guilty of eight counts of violating German export laws. Prosecutors had accused him of supplying the organization with equipment such as binoculars, night-vision goggles, laser range-finders, digital compasses and radios.
Nasir was arrested in Pakistan in 2007 and held in prison for two months. During that time, he said he was interviewed by British, American and Pakistani secret services.
