Milan court acquits Tunisians of terrorism charges

Judges in Milan acquitted five Tunisians accused of helping plan terrorist attacks outside Italy and of recruiting militants of terrorism charges today.

Four of the men were convicted of lesser charges, including criminal association, and handed prison sentences of between 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 years.

Prosecutors alleged the defendants were members of Ansar al-Islam, an organisation based in northern Iraq and believed to have links to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaida network. The suspects were accused of providing the group with fresh recruits, false documents and logistical support.

The five Tunisians, one of whom was tried in absentia, are also accused of forging documents and facilitating illegal immigration.

“There were forged documents, nobody has ever denied it,” said Carlo Corbucci, a defence lawyer for one of the men. “What we strongly deny was the terrorist characterisation that was given to small common crimes,” he said.

The lawyer for the alleged leader of the group, Sandro Clementi, said the suspects had denied the charge of international terrorism, but that his client had acknowledged forging documents.

The prosecutors’ case hinged on recordings of the suspects’ telephone conversations and on the testimony of three fellow Tunisians who collaborated with magistrates.

Clementi said the evidence showed only that the suspects harboured anti-American and anti-Italian sentiment, and that there was not enough evidence to prove the terrorism allegation.

The charge of “subversive association aimed at international terrorism” was introduced shortly after the September 11 attacks of 2001 to step up Italy’s fight against suspected terrorists.

Clementi said no one has ever been convicted of the charge.