German court finds Syrian refugee guilty of defrauding IS

BERLIN, Germany (Kurdistan 24) – In a bizarre turn of events, a German court has found a Syrian refugee guilty of trying to defraud the Islamic State (IS) into sending him money.

The man, a 39-year-old hairdresser from Damascus named as Hasan A., was sentenced to two years in prison for trying to get the militant group to send him up to 180,000 euros.

According to a judge in the district court in the southwestern city of Saarbruecken, the 39-year-old had told IS he would carry out attacks in Germany using explosives.

The court has been criticized for overlooking the prosecution’s argument that the man was guilty of planning to carry out attacks on behalf of the extremists.

The judge’s decision to sentence the Syrian refugee was seen as “granting legal protection to a group viewed as terrorists by the European Union,” Reuters reported.

The money was never transferred to the man.

A spokesperson for the court informed both parties had appealed the ruling to the Federal Supreme Court.

With violence on the rise in Europe, German security officials have consistently warned the country is under threat by international terrorist groups, including IS.

Last Wednesday, German authorities said they had arrested a 29-year-old Syrian man accused of committing war crimes as a member of the militant group in Syria.

In July, a German court convicted another Syrian refugee on terrorism charges after he was suspected of plotting an attack in Denmark.

Court officials said the man became radicalized by IS propaganda and was subsequently handed a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence.

Editing by G.H. Renaud