Ex-neo-Nazi regrets joining the Taliban

A former neo-Nazi who converted to Islam and fought with the Taliban on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border told a German court on Friday that he had made a “terrible mistake,” and that his wife missed the comforts of the West while the two were living in Waziristan.

The accused, known only as Thomas U., had signed up for the German Taliban Mujahideen (DTM). He is on trial for his membership in the terrorist organization and for his involvement in the bombing of an American base, reported The London Times.

U., a German citizen, complained to the tribunal of contracting hepatitis A and of his comrades’ drug habits and lack of hygiene while he was fighting with the DTM.

“It was a terrible experience. I was shocked at the lack of hygiene, people were spitting and vomiting,” he said.

He added that his wife was mistreated and missed supermarkets and her mobile phone.

After approximately eight months in Pakistan, the couple fled to Istanbul, Turkey, where they were immediately arrested and spent some 20 months in a Turkish jail, according to the report. U. told the court that he was happy to now be locked up in Germany.

U. had paid 5000 euros to travel to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in 2009, where he was trained in the use of firearms and explosives, reported The Daily Mail. He had also appeared in a Taliban propaganda video boasting of the attack on the US base.