'German plotter' trial opens

Security is tight for the opening of the trial

A Jordanian man has gone on trial in Duesseldorf accused of plotting attacks in Germany on behalf of a Palestinian group.

Shadi Abdellah is accused of being a member of al-Tawhid, a group with alleged links to al-Qaeda.

Prosecutors say Mr Abdellah was part of a cell that planned a gun attack on a busy town square and a grenade attack near a Jewish or Israeli target.

Mr Abdellah, who has admitted attending al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, was arrested along with several other alleged terrorist sympathisers in raids last year.

Weapons accusations

According to prosecutors, the cell "developed a plan to attack people in a busy square of a German city using a pistol with a silencer, and to detonate a hand grenade in another German city in the immediate vicinity of an Israeli or Jewish installation with the goal of killing as many people as possible".

Mr Abdellah is accused of ordering a pistol with a silencer and a crate of hand grenades.

Four other suspected members of al-Tawhid are still in custody in Germany.

Mr Abdellah could face 10 years in prison if found guilty.

The trial is expected to continue until September.