Wife of German rapper convicted of terrorism charges

BERLIN: The widow of a German-born rapper who joined the Islamic State extremist group in Syria and was killed in an airstrike was herself convicted Friday of membership in a terrorist organization.

The Hamburg state court sentenced Omaima A., 36, to three years in prison, the dpa news agency reported.

The Hamburg-born woman of Tunisian heritage, whose last name wasn't provided in line with German privacy laws, was also convicted of failing to properly care for her children, weapons violations and aiding in the enslavement of a Yazidi girl.

The woman followed her first husband to Syria in 2015 and lived in the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa with their three children, according to the court.

After her husband was killed in 2015, she married his friend, German rapper Denis Cuspert, who went by the stage name Deso Dogg before giving up the profession and joining IS.

Cuspert, who toured in the U.S. in 2006, lent his voice to record anthems for the militants to use in recruiting videos they circulated online.

The U.S. government designated him a “global terrorist.” The Pentagon initially said in 2015 that Cuspert was killed in an airstrike, but withdrew the claim the following year. In 2018, Islamic State announced the Cuspert had been killed in an airstrike in Syria.

By that time, Omaima A. had already returned to Germany.

Germany has been aggressively prosecuting both men and women who have returned after fighting with the Islamic State group or other extremist groups in the Middle East.

On Friday, federal prosecutors said a German woman had been arrested at Frankfurt airport on her return from Syria on allegations she was a member of IS.

The suspect, identified only as Kim A., faces charges of membership in a terrorist organization and other crimes.

She's alleged to have traveled to Syria with her husband, Onur E., in 2014 where both joined the Islamic State.

Onur E. is said to have undergone military training and then fought against Syrian government troops with the group. He is also alleged to have taught Kim A. how to use an assault rifle.

The two were given homes to live in that the Islamic State had seized from their rightful owners.

A. fled Syria in 2016, and returned to Germany on Thursday on a flight from Turkey, authorities said.

It was not clear what happened to her husband.