February 1, 2017
Photo: http://blogs.reuters.com/
Judges in Cologne, Germany have ruled that there is satisfactory proof that seven men broke into up to five churches and other buildings between 2013 and 2014.
The regional court sentenced the seven men, between the ages of 24 and 37, to between three years and six months, and four years and ten months for the robberies, reports the Associated Press. An eighth man charged with inflicting serious bodily harm was sentenced to two years and seven months.
It is believed that the men were burglarizing the churches to financially support Jihadists fighting in Syria, although the judges said in their Monday ruling that it was unclear whether they were truly funding Syrian rebels, and if so, to what extent.
Five of the convicted are German citizens, two hold dual German and Tunisian citizenship, and one German and Moroccan.
