A German Muslim who says he trained with a terrorist group in Pakistan has disclosed in a radio interview that he went on to served in the German Navy until he was expelled as a security risk.
Yannick Nasir, 23, said he was a trainee in 2003 at a camp run by the radical Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, believed to be behind the attacks in Mumbai, India which killed 164 people in 2008.
SWR public radio in Germany is set to broadcast programme on Nasir’s extraordinary life, Inside al-Qaeda on Wednesday. In extracts made available to other media Sunday, Nasir said he volunteered to join the Navy in 2007 after falling out with his family.
He said the Navy appeared to know about his past, because his commanding officer met him privately and said he had been told. Nasir said he served aboard a frigate, the Hessen, patrolling the coast of Lebanon to prevent gun-running by the Islamist group Hezbollah.
He also provided evidence about terrorist groups to German authorities and testified in a German court against his stepfather, Aleem Nasir, who was convicted of supporting terrorism through fund- raising.
The stepfather was given eight years in jail for associating with al-Qaeda and supplying it with money, equipment and young men from Germany. The court was told he met al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan.
But in 2008, Nasir was suspended from the Navy, then dismissed. He claims he had been assured he could keep his Navy job if he testified.
The Navy said it had no comment yet when contacted by the German Press Agency dpa. Police deny giving such an assurance.
Nasir said he was told he was being dismissed because the Navy could not guarantee his safety.
The young man is now in a witness-protection programme, SWR reports. But he too may face prosecution after admitting he smuggled money to terrorists and trained with Lashkar-e-Taiba.
‘Testifying did not benefit me in any way whatever,’ he was quoted saying. ‘On the contrary, I lost a lot. The quality of my life worsened. But I’m still glad I did it and don’t regret it for one second.’