Finland seeks life for Iraqi twins in IS-related killings
HELSINKI – Finnish prosecutors are demanding life sentences for Iraqi twin brothers charged with Islamic State-related killings of at least 11 unarmed soldiers in their home country.
The Pirkanmaa District Court said Tuesday the alleged killings were part of atrocities committed by IS militants at a military base outside Tikrit in June 2014 when some 1,700 Iraqi army soldiers were slain.
The 23-year-old brothers, who have not been identified, arrived in Finland in September 2015 and were arrested three months later.
Finnish prosecutors have based the case on eyewitness accounts, IS video footage of the massacre and information from an Iraqi investigative commission.
Both men have denied the charges and say they have not had dealings with IS groups. The trial is expected to begin in February.
A life sentence in Finland generally means imprisonment for 15-25 years.
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