A court in the northern German city of Celle has convicted a radical Islamist preacher and three co-defendants for recruiting and radicalizing young people in Germany for the "Islamic State" terrorist group. He has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison. Prosecutors sought a sentence of 11.5 years for Abu Walaa, who is believed to be the "Islamic State" jihadist group's de facto leader in Germany . The defense, however, demanded an acquittal, with Walaa himself declining to make a closing statement last week. What did the court say? The court pronounced Walaa guilty of supporting and being a member of the terrorist organization. The judges said the Islamist preacher and his network radicalized young people — mainly in the country's Ruhr region and the state of Lower Saxony — and sent them to the IS combat zones. Three co-defendants received prison sentences of between four and eight years. Who is Abu Walaa? Walaa, 37, was born in Iraq and came to … [Read more...] about German court convicts ‘IS recruiter’ Abu Walaa