THE HEIRS OF NUREMBURG:

German court acquits Sept. 11 suspect charged with accessory to murder (Geir Moulson, The Calgary Herald, 05/02/04)

A Hamburg court reluctantly acquitted a Moroccan man Thursday of helping the Sept. 11 hijackers, capping weeks of wrangling by prosecutors trying to salvage their case with new evidence and testimony.

Abdelghani Mzoudi - who signed the will of lead hijacker Mohamed Atta - was cleared of more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder and charges of belonging to a terrorist organization. It was only the second trial anywhere of a Sept. 11 suspect.

"Mr. Mzoudi, you have been acquitted and this may be a relief to you, but it is no reason for joy," said presiding Judge Klaus Ruehle, turning to Mzoudi on the defendant's bench. "You were acquitted not because the court is convinced of your innocence, but because the evidence was not enough to convict you." [...]

Mzoudi roomed for a time with Atta while both studied in Hamburg. Prosecutors alleged Mzoudi provided logistical support to the Hamburg al-Qaida cell, helping with financial transactions and arranging housing for members to evade authorities' attention. Mzoudi spent time at a terrorist camp in Afghanistan in 2000.

His lawyers denied the charges, saying that while their client was friends with many of the Sept. 11 principals, he knew nothing of the plot to attack the United States.

Mzoudi, 31, smiled as he left the courtroom with his jubilant lawyers, shaking his head at reporters' questions.

"It's a great day for justice," defence lawyer Michael Rosenthal said.

There is little point in blaming the court or Germany. This is what happens when we confuse war with crime.