In what the German government hailed as "a major step forward", a court in Hamburg Friday handed down a new terrorism conviction at the climax of re-trial proceedings against the only man ever convicted in connection with the September 11 attacks, reported dpa. In a virtual repeat of its 2003 verdict, Hamburg State Superior court found Mounir al-Motassadeq guilty of membership in a terrorist organisation. The court sentenced him to seven years in prison. Praising the verdict, German Interior Minister Otto Schily said, "This decision is a clear signal of our determination as a nation to combat terrorism. It will be an encouraging incentive to law-enforcement officials." Presiding Judge Ernst-Rainer Schudt ruled that Motassadeq, who he described as a "polite, friendly, reserved" person, had been one of seven followers of Atta in a Hamburg terrorist cell that formed in autumn 1999. Three of the cell members including Mohammed Atta piloted hijacked planes that were used as missiles on September 11, 2001. The sentence was less than half the 15 years handed down to Motassadeq in February 2003 in a judgement that was later quashed on appeal to the German federal high court. --More 1346 Local Time 1046 GMT
