An alleged Islamic militant held for nine months in Afghanistan whose tips helped spark a travel alert in Europe in 2010 over potential attacks went on trial Monday in Germany.
The 37-year-old Ahmed Wali Siddiqui, who has Afghan and German citizenship, stands accused of membership of two “foreign terrorist organisations”, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
“The trial began as planned,” a spokesman for the higher regional court in the western city of Koblenz said.
Western powers say IMU aims to establish Islamic sharia law in central Asia and is waging a guerrilla campaign against security forces in Pakistan and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
US forces detained Siddiqui in July 2010 in Kabul and held him at Bagram air base outside the Afghan capital.
All three countries subsequently beefed up security.
