German ex-soldiers sentenced over mercenary force in Yemen

Two former Bundeswehr soldiers received suspended prison sentences on Monday for attempts to form a terrorist organization.

The Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart found the two German soldiers had tried to establish a mercenary force to intervene in the civil war in Yemen.

Had they succeeded, their mercenary force would have consisted of former and current Bundeswehr soldiers.

For their crimes, the court sentenced them to prison sentences of one year and six months and one year and two months, but both sentences were suspended.

The verdict is considered final, as both parties waived their right to appeal.

Since all parties waived their right to appeal, the verdict is final.

What did the Bundeswehr soldiers plan in Yemen?

The defendants, aged 61 and 53, wanted to build up a force of 150 fighters to conquer areas controlled by Houthi rebels. The court said this would have involved civilian casualties.

Prosecutors said the defendants were motivated by Christian fundamentalist beliefs, and that they had also followed instructions from a fortune teller. Prosecutors also accused them of having a financial motive. The soldiers allegedly budgeted up to €40,000 ($39,000) per month to pay for the troops. 

One of the defendants was allegedly working to establish contact with the Saudi government to finance the mercenary force, while the other was allegedly working to make contact with possible mercenaries. However, both were reportedly unsuccessful.

"The defendants have achieved nothing at all," the presiding judge said Monday.

The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office described the verdict as substantial. They said the court had made it clear that Germans were liable to be prosecuted if they took part in military combat abroad.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and has been torn by civil war since 2014.

Shiite Houthi rebels, generally believed to be backed by Iran, have been fighting the government. Saudi Arabia has intervened militarily in the war on the side of the government to combat what it sees as an attempt by its regional archenemy, Tehran, to gain power in the region.

According to German news magazine Der Spiegel, the two men worked for the controversial security firm Asgaard after their time in the Bundeswehr as paratroopers.

aw/rt (dpa, AFP)