A French court on Thursday ruled that a German al-Qaida member had played a central role in the deadly 2002 suicide bombing of a Tunisian synagogue which killed 21 people. Christian Ganczarski, a 42-year-old Islamic convert who had visited Afghan and Pakistani militant camps and had met Osama bin Laden, was found guilty of being complicit in the murders and of membership of a terrorist group. He was given an 18-year sentence.
The attack, which was claimed by al-Qaida, targeted the historic Ghriba synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba, a magnet for tourists. Suicide bomber Nizar Naouar slammed into the building in a fuel tanker laden with explosives. In total, 14 German tourists, five Tunisians and two French nationals were killed and many more people were injured. The trial started in January.
Ganczarski's Tunisian accomplice Walid Naouar, brother of the suicide bomber, was given 12 years for his role in providing the false documents and satellite telephone which enabled the attack. Initially, 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was also charged with conspiring in the plot. However, due to his imprisonment in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, French judges decided he will be tried separately at a later date when he is able to appear in person.
Among evidence put forward by the prosecution were images of Ganczarski with Osama bin Laden at training camps in Afghanistan. A video dating from Janurary 2001 showed him sitting in the first row among hundreds of armed fighters in an al-Qaida camp, watching a speech by bin Laden. Behind him sat the 9/11 pilot Mohammed Atta. When Ganczarski was challenged about the video, he told the Paris court room: "You can't choose who you sit next to in the theater." French and German investigators believe Ganczarski met with al-Qaida figurehead bin Laden on a number of occasions.
Prosecutors homed in on a phone call to Ganczarski by the suicide bomber Nizar Naouar asking him for a "blessing" ahead of the Djerba terror attack. Ganczarski has denied any connection with the plot, though he has admitted being a member of al-Qaida.
After the French judge's verdict, Ganczarski's lawyer said he planned to appeal the ruling: "This verdict is wrong and unacceptable," lawyer Sebastien Bono said. "He is innocent of the charges."
Originally, prosecutors said that the two men should get 30-year sentences. Belgacem Naouar, the uncle of the suicide bomber, who was accused of preparing the truck, is currently in a Tunisian jail after being found guilty for assisting in the devastating April 11, 2002 plot.
French law stipulates that, because French citizens perished in the attack, any people accused of the crime may be tried in France. Later this year, there will be a further trial of two other men accused of providing false documents, though they are not thought to be involved in the planning stages of the attack.
German prosecutors have said no trial would be held in Germany, Ganczarski's home for many years, given the insufficient evidence linking him to the suicide bombing. The Polish-born locksmith was arrested five years ago and has been held in custody in Paris ever since.
jas-- with wire reports
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