Popular among Muslim youth and Al Qaeda supporters in Europe and elsewhere, former rapper Denis Mamadou Cuspert is now heralded by fans as one of the best known singers of nasheed, Islamic devotional music.
At the same time, German authorities are keeping a close eye on Mr. Cuspert as they consider him a top security risk who celebrates hate and incites violence with inflammatory videos and speeches that praise terrorists.
German authorities say people like him inspired the fatal shootings of two American airmen at the Frankfurt airport in March. The 21-year-old man accused of the killings, Arid Uka, whose trial began in Frankfurt on Wednesday, has said he opened fire on a busload of American service members after seeing a video that claimed to show a Muslim woman being raped by men in United States military uniforms.
Read more at the New York Times.
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