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Tamil Tigers charged

August 31, 2010

Two German nationals and one Sri Lankan have been charged with belonging to the Tamil Tigers, a banned separatist group. The men are believed to have raised millions of euros from Germany-based Tamils for weapons.

https://p.dw.com/p/P0uQ
A Tamil Tiger flag in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
The men are believed to have run the German 'affiliate'Image: AP

German prosecutors have charged three suspected Tamil Tiger rebel leaders with membership in a terrorist organisation and breaches of export laws.

A Federal Prosecutor's Office statement said the three men - Vijikanendra T., 35, Sasitharan M., 33, and Koneswaran T., 39 - were accused of belonging to the terrorist group and of supplying the organization with three million euros ($3.8 million) for weapons and supplies.

The three men, arrested in western Germany in March, ran the German "affiliate" of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which is banned as a "terrorist" organization in the European Union, the statement added.

If convicted as charged, the men could be jailed for up to 10 years. No trial date has yet been set.

Decades of civil war in Sri Lanka ended last year after government forces crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels in a bloody finale that resulted in at least 7,000 civilian deaths, according to the United Nations.

Author: Gabriel Borrud (AFP/dpa)
Editor: Chuck Penfold

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