3 jailed for attack on German mosque

BERLIN (AA) – A German court on Friday jailed three men for throwing Molotov cocktails on a mosque in southern Germany last year.</p> <p>The mosque of Turkish-Muslim association IGMG in Ulm was attacked in March 2018 by followers of the PYD/PKK terrorist group to protest Turkey’s counter-terrorism operation in northwestern Syria.</p> <p>The district court in Ulm handed down jail terms — ranging from three to five-and-half years — to attackers for the assault that caused no casualties but minor damage to the mosque.</p> <p>Two other suspects received suspended prison sentences between six months and one-and-half years.</p> <p>The PYD/PKK group and far-left organizations claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks last year which targeted Turkish mosques, associations and shops in various cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Aachen. </p> <p>The PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993, but it remains active, with nearly 14,000 followers in the country. </p> <p>Ankara has long criticized German authorities for not taking serious measures against the PKK and its Syrian affiliates — PYD and YPG — which continue to use Germany as a platform for their fund-raising, recruitment and propaganda activities.</p> <p>In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including many women and children.