Member of Hamburg 9/11 cell jailed for al-Qa'ida link

In 2003, Motassadeq, a 31-year-old Moroccan, was convicted of 3,000 counts of accessory to murder and a German court sentenced him to 15 years. But the country's supreme court quashed the conviction last year, ruling that he was unfairly denied key evidence from al-Qa'ida suspects in the United States which suggested he was not aware of the 9/11 plot. Yesterday, judges concluded there was no proof he knew about the plot.

Prosecutors said Motassadeq provided key assistance to the Hamburg cell of 9/11 plotters headed by the suicide hijacker, Mohamed Atta. He signed Atta's will and managed the bank account of another hijacker.

Motassadeq had admitted attending an al-Qa'ida training camp in Afghanistan in 2000.