The Motassadeq Verdict

Die Welt saw the court case as "an instance where cogs of the German justice system have been turning slowly, but the paper views the outcome as "successful." According to the Berlin based paper, "It can not be forgotten that it was the first process to deal with the 9/11 attacks. The fact that evidence had to be brought in from both German and foreign secret services made the case complicated and stalled proceedings. However the great efforts were worth it." "The case has proved that the German justice system can constitutionally deal with terrorism. However, the paper said that this should also mean that Motassadeq should be brought back to prison as soon as possible, "It would be fatal to let the man escape a jail sentence," commented the paper.

"Motassadeq deserves no sympathy. As we learn today he did after all collaborate in planning the fatal flights on New York and Washington", writes the Stuttgarter Nachrichten. "In the next hearing where the sentence will be decided, the accused is most likely to get 15 years imprisonment. That is the longest sentence that a court may grant for accessory to murder. But considering that there were 3000 victims, it's dubious that our sentencing laws are really up to date", the paper stated.

The Südwest Presse also expressed satisfaction with the verdict. "In the end Motassedeq will have been in court three times. The High Regional Court and the Federal Court of Justice worked together towards the verdict and the sentencing, which may be 15 or seven years. In the end it will probably be 15 years or even slightly less." The paper claimed, "It isn't how many years that is so significant now. It is much more important for the victims' relatives that the German Federal Court of Justice states clearly what Mounir Al-Motassadeq has done, which was aiding and abetting to murder, and not just being a member of a terror organization."

"The verdict against Motassadeq has the effect of looking internally at our own liberal society", commented the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "The case strengthens this society for those who challenge the justice system. A system, in which everyone is equal before the rule of law. A defendant has to be proven guilty. Even if it is the biggest criminal, he or she will also be dealt with according to the fair rule of law," asserted the paper.