21.12.2004, 19:47
Zitat:http://zaman.com/?bl=national&alt=&trh=2...1&hn=14925
Metin Kaplan: We are not Terrorists
Metin Kaplan, 51, the so-called "Caliph of Cologne," is the leader of the Union of Islamic Communities in Germany. He was arrested in Istanbul after Germany extradited him. Before a judge in court, Cologne said: "I reject accusations of terrorism. I am a Muslim, and Islam rejects terrorism". He added that a Muslim couldn't be a terrorist just like a terrorist couldn't be a Muslim.
Kaplan was brought before the 14th Heavy Penalty Court because of accusations that he ordered people to attack, by using a plane, Fatih Mosque in Istanbul and Anitkabir, as well as the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
Kaplan read his nine-page defense in court, rejected all accusations and said: "Islam does not order the killing of people." He also claimed that people who were arrested while they planned an attack on Anitkabir, were tortured during interrogations, and their statements were taken under such circumstances. The bench decided that Kaplan's state of arrest would continue. It adjourned the trial and transferred it the attorney general, who will decide the case.