Status: 10/24/2022 3:50 p.m
Two former Bundeswehr soldiers have been given suspended sentences because they wanted to set up a mercenary force in Yemen’s civil war. They were accused of founding a terrorist organization.
The Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart on Monday sentenced two former Bundeswehr soldiers to suspended prison terms for attempting to found a terrorist organization.
The court saw it as proven that the two men wanted to set up a mercenary force for the Arab civil war country Yemen and thus intervene in the war. The unit should mainly consist of former Bundeswehr soldiers.
Troop should be up to 150 men strong
According to the court, the accused received prison sentences of one year and six months and one year and two months. Both sentences were suspended on probation. Since all parties involved waived the right to appeal, the judgment is final.
According to the court’s conviction, the two 61 and 53-year-old men wanted to intervene directly in the civil war in Yemen that has been ongoing since 2015. They have therefore been planning since the beginning of 2021 to build up a mercenary force with a strength of 100 to 150 men.
Their task should have been to conquer parts of the areas controlled by the Houthi rebels in Yemen and to secure them militarily. They would have approved of killings and civilian casualties.
Intervention in Yemen on the instructions of a fortune teller
From the point of view of the court, there was a whole “bundle of motives”. Among other things, they would have hoped for monthly wages of up to 40,000 euros. “The accused allowed themselves to be influenced by Christian-fundamentalist ideas and the prophecies of a Turkish seer,” the court said. They were also influenced by a certain sense of mission and a thirst for adventure.
According to the court, the two men worked on a shared basis. One of the accused was supposed to make contact with Saudi government agencies for financing the mercenary force. The other should contact possible mercenaries. However, both were reportedly unsuccessful.