This is the longer (12 minute) version of CNN's interview with German journalist Juergen Todenhoefer who recently returned from spending 10 days with ISIS in Iraq and Syria. (Here is the 3 minute version I wrote about Monday.)
This longer version is even more compelling. There are also new details on the overweight German fighter who defends slavery and beheadings and tells Todenhoefer ISIS will conquer Europe some day, it’s only a matter of time, and that James Foley died because of the U.S. government.
He is 30 year old Christian Emde, who was jailed in Great Britain in 2011 along with 25 year old Richard Baum, for possessing a lot of extremist literature, including the AQAP articles from the issue of Inspire Magazine on how to build a bomb. They were convicted and sentenced, and deported back to Germany in 2012. They both then joined ISIS. Baum blew himself up in a suicide attack weeks ago.
Here is the Crown's press release following their sentencing, describing the material in their possession.
Their arrest was widely reported at the time. Here's an article from the BBC after their sentencing, in which Todenhoefer's lawyer says:
Timothy Green, for Emde, told the Old Bailey that his client had become a Muslim in 2003 and that he had opposed the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. He had been the moderator of a website for people who shared his views.
At their first two appearances in court, the two men refused to stand. Both men said standing would be an act of worship that went against Islam. But Mr Green said that Emde now regretted the offences and had had a “very difficult six months in the UK”. He spoke no English and had received no prison visits. No prison clothes could be found to fit him because of his large size, Mr Green said.
He had no desire to stay in this country any longer than he had to and wanted nothing more than to be sent back to Germany.
Mr Green added: “Mr Emde is not a terrorist. He was not going to pass the documents to anyone.
Emde reportedly lived in a radical Islamic mosque after leaving prison in Britain. He now uses the moniker Abu Malik al-Almani.
Also interesting is that Todenhoefer tells CNN he knows Emde well, having gotten to know him over 7 months during which he spent 14 to 16 hours interviewing him. I wonder if Emde was Todenhoefer's entree into ISIS for this trip — the one who vouched for him to senior ISIS leadership, resulting in ISIS granting Todenhoefer a written pass and promise of safety during his recent trip.