German court backs extradition

A German court has approved the extradition of two men wanted by the United States on charges of supporting al-Qaeda.

The ruling was made on condition that the men would not face the death penalty in the US, and that the German Government should make the final decision on their extradition.

The two - Yemeni cleric Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad and a man believed to be his assistant, Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed - were arrested in January following a request by the US.

The US believes they played a significant role in raising funds for al-Qaeda, but has not linked them directly with the 11 September 2001 attacks.

The Frankfurt state court also ruled the men could not be sent to confinement centres outside natural US territory, including Guantanamo Bay.

Prized catch

The BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin says that of the two, Sheikh Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad is the bigger catch.

He says Mr Moayad is a leading member of a Yemini Islamist opposition party, who is also believed to have funded the Palestinian group, Hamas.

Mr Moayad is the imam of the main mosque in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa and is reportedly Osama Bin Laden's finance chief.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accuses him of having given Bin Laden $20m.

German law does not allow suspects to be extradited to countries where they could face the death penalty, but has waived the rule in this case.

"The international community must be able to use extraordinary, cross-border investigative measures to fight serious crimes of globally organised terrorist organisations," the court statement said.

The German Government must make the final decision about their extradition although the two men can still appeal to the constitutional court.