Iraqis tied to bin Laden on trial in Germany in murder plot

AP/NY Times:

Three Iraqi men went on trial Tuesday on charges they plotted to kill Iraq's then-Prime Minister Ayad Allawi during a visit to Germany in 2004.

Ata Abdoulaziz Rashid, 32, Mazen Ali Hussein, 24, and Rafik Mohamad Yousef, 31, face charges of conspiracy and membership in Ansar al-Islam, a radical Islamic group linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.

The three, who are also suspected of helping to raise funds and organize recruits for Ansar al-Islam, were arrested in pre-dawn raids on Dec. 3, 2004 and have been held in police custody since then.

Police say Yousef phoned the other two defendants, described as more senior members of the group, to ask for their approval for an attempt to kill Allawi during his appearance at a business forum in Berlin. They allegedly gave their approval and a promise of financial help, and Yousef allegedly inspected the scene of the attack.

The event was canceled after the arrests.

If found guilty, the three could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Ansar al-Islam, which was formed in the Kurdish parts of Iraq, is believed to be behind attacks on U.S. and allied troops in Iraq.

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This is a problem for the anti war left that insist that al Qaeda had nothing to do with Iraq. The organization is actually the one that Secretary Powell talked about in his UN speech showing Iraq's ties to al Qaeda. It is also the organization that was associated with Zarqawi before the war.