Inside the Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. Trial #10: The Secrets of Secret Communication
TRIAL OF TWANA H.S. AND ASIA R.A.
Higher Regional Court – Munich, Germany
Trial Monitoring Summary #10
Hearing Date: September 10 & 11, 2025
CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.
Note that this summary is not a verbatim transcript of the trial; it is merely an unofficial summary of the proceedings.
Throughout this summary, [information located in brackets are notes from our trial monitor] and “information placed in quotes are statements made by the witness, judges or counsel.” The names and identifying information of witnesses have been redacted.
[Note: SJAC provides a summary of the proceedings while redacting certain details to protect witness privacy and to preserve the integrity of the trial.]
SJAC’s 10th trial monitoring report details days 18 and 19 of the trial of Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. in Munich, Germany. On the first day of this week, the Court read out a number of documents pertaining to Twana H.S.’s prior prison sentence and several applications for early release.
On the second day, the Court heard two witnesses W9, and W10, two police officers. W9 was involved in the search of Twana H.S.’s residence, as well as his prison transport, and evaluated a mobile phone belonging to co-Accused Asia R.A. W10 contributed to the search of the residence of the Accused Asia R.A. and the evaluation of one of her mobile phones. Afterwards, the read-out procedure from the previous day continued and concluded.
Day 18 – September 10, 2025
On this trial day, the Court introduced a read-out procedure [German: Verleseprogramm]. The first document read out was a request for mutual legal assistance (MLA) [German: Rechtshilfeersuchen] submitted by German investigators to the [redacted location] authorities. It concerned a Facebook account with which the Accused, Twana H.S., had been in close contact. The [redacted location] authorities responded that the account in question belonged to F59, believed to be the brother of Twana H.S., who resides in [redacted location] and was born in [redacted time] in Iraq.
The Court then read a criminal order issued in 2018 by the District Court of Munich against Twana H.S., concerning offences under the Residence Act and the misuse of identity documents. Twana H.S. was accused of re-entering Germany illegally in 2018 after having been outside the country for over six months in 2015, and of using a purchased German passport and residence permit in the name of [redacted name], F67, to deceive the authorities about his right of residence. The court imposed a fine of €1,600.
Afterwards, a summary of enforcement proceedings dated February 25, 2019 was read out, concerning the fact that the Accused had only partially paid the fine imposed on him in the above-mentioned case.
The next document read out was an opinion from Landsberg am Lech Prison regarding Twana H.S.’s request from 2020 to have the remainder of his sentence suspended on probation after serving half of his sentence. [Note: Before the current trial, Twana H.S. was convicted and served prison time for membership in a foreign terrorist organization.] The opinion described his conduct in prison as follows: he worked in a prison workshop, behaved calmly, kept his workplace clean and orderly, was polite and friendly, and showed skill and diligence in his work. He generally kept to himself and did not attract particular positive or negative attention, though he had once been very rude toward a social worker. He maintained regular telephone contact with his wife and stated that he could live with her in [redacted location] after release. The report also mentioned that he might benefit from psychotherapeutic treatment, which he had not undertaken so far. He claimed to be abstinent from drugs, alcohol, and gambling. There was no evidence that he had tried to recruit other inmates for the Islamic State, although he had been seen praying during working hours on several occasions. He had no prior convictions and had paid previous fines. He expressed the wish to again work as a hairdresser, although he had not secured a specific job yet. The opinion stated that Twana H.S. should only be released if the security of the German public could be guaranteed and did not support his early release, citing his illegal re-entry into Germany, his numerous aliases, and an opaque personality structure.
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[15-minute-break]
After the break, the Court read the protocol of Twana H.S.’s hearing before the Munich Higher Regional Court on 9 October 2020, as well as the written notes concerning this hearing. During that hearing, he was informed that special circumstances must exist to justify suspension of his sentence. He explained that his family had not received medical treatment for a year, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The court clarified that “special circumstances” must demonstrate a reduced risk of reoffending. Twana H.S. stated that he knew a powerful ISIS member and could help the German authorities locate him, but requested protection for himself and his family in return. The prior court informed him that this did not constitute a “special circumstance,” though cooperation with the authorities might be taken into account for early release after two-thirds of the sentence. He was also advised to consult a psychologist. He withdrew his application for early release at the halfway point and instead applied for release after two-thirds of his sentence.
The next document read out was another opinion from Landsberg am Lech Prison, dated March 16, 2021, concerning this second request. It described an incident in the prison workshop, where Twana H.S. had a loud argument with another inmate while holding scissors in his hand. He later claimed he was being bullied and that the other inmate wanted to kill him, allegedly on the instructions of the workshop supervisors. An internal investigation found this to be untrue and Twana H.S. was transferred to another workshop. The opinion further stated that Twana H.S.’s wife had entered into a new relationship and that a continuation of his marriage therefore appeared unlikely. The opinion concluded that there was still no positive legal prognosis and recommended against release after two-thirds of the sentence, emphasizing that such a decision would undermine the German public’s confidence in the German legal system.
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[15-minute-break]
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On 4 July 2022, a supplementary statement was submitted by the prison regarding supervision upon release [German: Führungsaufsicht]. It recorded that Twana H.S. had recently been subject to three disciplinary proceedings — twice for refusing to work and once for manipulating a sieve used in his work. He had recently stated that he was wrongfully imprisoned, refused to comply with certain prison obligations, and declared he would not live in a shared accommodation again after release. In four sessions with the prison’s psychological service, he denied guilt and claimed that during his time with ISIS, he had been misled and had never actually fought, only driven an ambulance. The document further read that although he initially agreed to participate in the Violence Prevention Network, he failed to attend a follow-up meeting, preferring to take his outdoor exercise instead. The Network was willing to continue working with him on the condition that he submit a written apology, which he refused to do. Instead, he declared that Germany itself should apologise “for killing women and children in Iraq,” claiming that it was “in the German nature to destroy.” The assessment concluded that Twana H.S. continued to pose a serious threat to order and security in Germany. While he outwardly behaved friendlily, in moments of irritation, he showed his true nature and displayed rejection of Germany and continued to deny his crimes. It was therefore proposed that a five-year period of supervision upon release be imposed. As part of this supervision, any change of residence should be permitted only upon prior approval; he should be prohibited from contacting co-offenders or minors; be required to register with the employment agency if unemployed; be obliged to engage with the causes of his offences to prevent further crimes; continue cooperating with a deradicalization or violence-prevention programme; carry monitoring technology to enable location tracking; and obtain approval for any absence from his residence longer than 24 hours. He should also be prohibited from carrying weapons, and violations of these conditions should result in a fine or a prison sentence of up to three years. The supervision should be extended to be indefinite if Twana H.S. would not seek psychological treatment.
Then, a letter from Deputy Director [redacted name], F68, of Landsberg Prison dated July 12, 2022 was read out. It strongly recommended the imposition of strict conditions upon release. F68 stated that although Twana H.S. had no prior convictions, the negative factors clearly outweighed the positive ones. This letter highlighted Twana H.S.’s lack of stable social connections, risk of flight, possible involvement in extremist training, Islamic State associations, high criminal energy, and three disciplinary sanctions. It further noted his lack of genuine willingness to address his problems and his continued denial of the crimes committed. Moreover, the letter stated that, in situations of frustration, he loses his usual composure and displays open hostility toward German society. The letter concluded that, since deportation was not possible, strict supervisory measures were necessary to ensure the protection of the public.
Next, the Court read out the protocol of Twana H.S.’s hearing regarding his early release, as well as the written notes of the court on this hearing. During the hearing, a psychologist was heard who provided an opinion on Twana’s personality structure and the question of whether he should be released early. She highlighted his narcissistic tendencies, history of antisocial behaviour and interpersonal conflict, and the fact that he presented more risk factors than mitigating ones. She further noted his strong need for recognition, which he had been able to fulfil during his time with the Islamic State and could potentially continue to seek within the Salafist scene, especially as a former fighter. His low self-confidence made him particularly susceptible to renewed radicalisation. The psychologist emphasised that narcissistic individuals who have themselves experienced discrimination and seek validation within extremist communities pose a particular risk. Her overall assessment concluded that his legal prognosis was unfavourable. She recommended offering programmes aimed at cognitive and behavioural change, strengthening social ties, and ensuring that he be closely supervised.
Afterwards, Twana H.S. made a personal statement in support of his early release. He argued that in Mosul, all Iraqi soldiers had been acquitted and that “it should now be enough.” He claimed that he did not need rehabilitation, saying that he had forgiven his former German girlfriend and had not acted violently towards her, and that he had always seen violence only as a last resort. He stated that he now talks to people who love him in order to recognise his mistakes, though there was “nothing left to improve.” He added that he had already spent many years in detention and perhaps had not needed imprisonment at all, given his good behaviour. He claimed that he had participated in all deradicalisation measures offered in prison, explaining that he had missed one session only because it coincided with the rare opportunity to go outside during COVID-19 restrictions. He said that his earlier statement about not complying with supervisory conditions had been misunderstood — that he merely wanted to live near his family, as his wife does not speak German. He stated that he had received a verbal job offer and had already arranged an appointment for outpatient therapy after his release. Twana also asserted that he had always cooperated with German authorities, to which the prosecution responded that he had made such claims before but had never actually followed through with concrete assistance.
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[60-minute-break]
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After the break, the prior court’s decision on Twana H.S. early release from prison was read out. The Higher Regional Court of Munich rejected Twana H.S.’s request for early release, ordering instead that he serve his full sentence. The court found that early release could not be justified in light of public safety concerns. The remaining sentence could only be suspended if it were compatible with the protection of the public, which, in this case, it was not. The court noted that there had been no positive development in the Accused’s behaviour; he continued to place blame on others and had previously stated that he would not comply with supervisory conditions.
The protocol and written notes of his subsequent hearing on January 9, 2023, concerning the conditions of supervision after full sentence completion, were then read out. Once again, the Accused was given the opportunity to speak. He repeated claims of having been tortured in prison, asserted that he had been “misled by ISIS,” and questioned why he was being held accountable in Germany when he had not committed crimes there. He said he had always been polite but that “if one is constantly tortured, one is sometimes not nice.” He reiterated that he had cooperated with the police. When asked by the Presiding Judge whether there were reasons to waive supervision, he stated that he would “never harm Germany,” that he was not a terrorist, had not fought, and had always spoken positively about Germany. He claimed to have undergone “brainwashing” in the past but said that “today it is different” and that his “eyes are now open.” He described the supervision conditions as “unliveable,” suggesting various changes to them, such as only reporting to the police once a week rather than every day. The Court responded that if he found the conditions unbearable, he was free to leave the country. Twana replied that he did not wish to stay in Germany, citing the presence of “many right-wing extremists,” including police officers, but added that he had no residence permit elsewhere.
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[15-minute-break]
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Finally, the judgment of the Higher Regional Court dated January 23, 2023 was read out. It was determined that upon completion of his sentence, Twana H.S. would be placed under supervisory control for a period of five years in [redacted location]. The conditions imposed stipulated that he may not leave [redacted location] without permission and is prohibited from entering the city of Munich. He must report to his probation officer once per month during the first year and once to three times per quarter thereafter, and he is required to report daily to the police. Furthermore, he is forbidden from maintaining contact with any persons known to him from his time with the Islamic State, must carry electronic monitoring devices at all times, may not possess any weapons, must consent to home monitoring, and is prohibited from using internet-enabled devices. The prior court justified these measures by referring to the continued danger he poses to the German public. It found no favourable social prognosis, no evidence of genuine personal change, and a persistent constellation of risk factors, with no protective circumstances.
The proceedings were adjourned at 3:03 PM.
The next trial day will be on September 11, 2025.
Day 19 – September 11, 2025
On this trial day, the Court continued the read-out procedure from the previous session and heard testimony from two police officers who had been involved at various stages of the investigation against the Accused, including searches, prisoner transport, and the assessment of digital evidence.
The first witness of the day, police officer [redacted name], W9, appeared before the Court. After being reminded of his obligation to tell the truth, his personal details were recorded: He is [redacted information] years old, born on [redacted time], works as a police officer, and is not related or connected by marriage to either of the Accused. W9 testified that he had participated in the search of the residence of the Accused Twana H.S., as well as his prison transport, and had evaluated a mobile phone belonging to co-Accused Asia R.A.
In response to questions from the Presiding Judge, W9 testified that nothing unusual occurred during the search of Twana H.S.’s home on April 9, 2024. Regarding the prisoner transport from [redacted location] to Karlsruhe, he described the Accused as calm and cooperative, speaking only in short sentences, and appearing physically fit, though he could not assess his mental state. Two notable incidents occurred during and after the journey: First, during the transport, the Accused urinated on himself. W9 recalled that he could not judge the reason for this and that the Accused remained calm both before and after. Second, upon arrival in Karlsruhe, while the Accused was in a room with his lawyer and an interpreter, the lawyer exited to inform officers that the Accused appeared unwell. Moments later, the Accused collapsed from his chair to the ground. An emergency call was made, and an ambulance attended to determine whether he was fit for questioning, concluding that he was not.
To a follow-up question by the expert witness, W9 explained that no other irregularities occurred during transport. The Accused had mostly slept and remained calm even after the incident of urination. When asked to describe the collapse in detail, W9 explained that the Accused leaned back, lost muscle tension, and slowly slid down. He testified that he could not assess whether Twana H.S. had genuinely collapsed or whether he had only pretended to do so.
The Court then turned to the evaluation of a mobile phone belonging to Asia R.A., that she used between July 2018 and March 2019. W9 testified that the phone had first been processed by the IT Forensics Department of the BKA, which then made the extracted data available to investigators for analysis. Keyword lists in Kurdish and Arabic were used to identify relevant content. W9 explained that these lists were provided by the lead investigators, but he did not know whether the same lists had been used for all devices under examination.
Among the data were calendar entries, social media contacts, and chat histories. Relevant contacts included her uncle, W2, and two aunts, F55 and F62. Two chat conversations stood out.
The first, with [redacted name], F26, was a chat of a romantic nature. The second was with [redacted name], F58, the wife of the brother of the Accused Twana H.S., who lives in [redacted location]. In this exchange, F58 expressed concerns that her husband might be suspected of involvement with the Islamic State following a call from the [redacted location] police, which occurred due to a German request for mutual legal assistance. F58 voiced fears that her phone might be monitored, to which Asia R.A. replied: “Of course, the phone is being monitored.” The chat also made reference to “Haji,” a nickname known from previous proceedings to refer to the Accused, Twana H.S. Family members discussed the imprisonment of ISIS members using coded language, with references to “leaving the hospital” understood by investigators as meaning release from prison.
When questioned by Defence Counsel Kämpf about the procedure used for translation, W9 explained that the keyword lists identified relevant chat segments, which were then machine-translated, followed by review and precise translation by sworn interpreters. He confirmed that the entire chat had been viewed for context, but that only selected passages were translated in full. The interpreters did not see the automated translations but worked directly from the original text. W9 stated that he could not say which Kurdish dialects were included in the keyword search or which interpreters were involved. The witness was then dismissed in mutual agreement of all parties.
[20-minute-break]
After the break, the Court called police officer [redacted name], W10, as the second witness of the day. After being informed of his duty to tell the truth, the witness gave his details: he was born on [redacted time], is serving as a police officer, and not related or connected by marriage to either Accused. W10 had participated in the investigation at two stages: the search of the residence of the Accused Asia R.A. and the evaluation of one of her mobile phones.
He described the search conducted on April 9, 2024 in Regensburg, recalling that he had been assigned to assist with the care of the Accused’s two minor children and to search the bedroom. The witness reported finding an unusually large number of women’s clothing items and accessories, many still in packaging or with tags attached, including an estimated 60 to 80 new handbags, as well as numerous eyeshadow palettes. W10 testified that Asia R.A. remained composed during the search and made comments only concerning her children.
In the kitchen, officers found a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, which was determined to have been used by the Accused from August 2022 until her arrest on April 8, 2024. The phone contained extensive data, over 10,000 calls, 4,000 contacts, 5,000 videos, 5,000 audio files, and approximately 70,000 images.
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[10-minute-break]
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The phone’s call logs showed that she was in contact with her father, as well as with [redacted name], F66, a sister of Twana H.S., and [redacted name], F58, the wife of Twana’s brother who lives in [redacted location].
The Court reviewed several photographs from the device. One image showed the Accused on a video call with an older man, who, based on comparison images, was assumed to be her father. Another picture appeared to depict her deceased husband, decorated with emotional text. Further photographs showed the Accused with her presumed first husband, in one of which she appeared pregnant, as well as various Iraqi identity documents belonging to other individuals. Some photographs, appearing in chat threads, were believed to show forged identity documents belonging to the Accused.
Regarding chat communications, W10 reported over 600 chats comprising roughly 100,000 individual messages. One notable exchange was with F66, the sister of the Accused’s husband, Twana H.S. In this conversation, Asia R.A. requested €3,000 for “Haji.” F66 responded that she could send €500, but that it would be difficult to do so. The exchange later escalated into a heated argument in which F66 accused Asia of stealing money intended for Twana H.S. and insulted her with vulgar language, commenting on her “promiscuous sex life.” F66 further wrote, “Without Haji you would be nothing; you’d end up like the ISIS women who are abused by the Shiites and thrown back into tents.” W10 noted that F66 called Asia R.A. an “ISIS woman” and that the Accused did not deny the allegation.
Defence Counsel Ameri challenged this interpretation, accusing the witness of drawing conclusions rather than merely reporting facts. W10 replied that he was only describing the content of the messages and that any interpretive assessment should be left to those more deeply involved in the case.
Another chat of significance involved an unknown contact calling himself “Uncle Abdullah.” The Accused initially appeared cautious but accepted his identity after he sent her photographs allegedly depicting relatives. The man claimed to be abroad and expressed his intention to come to Germany to take care of her. Their correspondence discussed whether she could live safely among non-believers in Germany and whether there existed any place where she could live according to Islamic rules. When Abdullah asked why she had not left, she replied by asking where she could possibly go. He then asked whether her husband’s imprisonment was connected to them being part of the “network,” understood to mean the Islamic State. The Accused responded that this was indeed the reason for his imprisonment and neither denied nor confirmed that she was also part of the “network.”
In response to further questions by Defence Counsel Ameri, W10 explained that relevant chat excerpts had been identified through keyword searches, machine-translated, and then verified and translated in detail by sworn translators. He added that he relied solely on the official translations and did not compare them with the automated ones, seeing no value in such a comparison, though he recalled that the meanings were broadly consistent.
The witness was dismissed in mutual agreement of all parties.
[55-minute-break]
After the lunch break, the Court continued the read-out procedure from the previous day. First, the Court read a decision of the Higher Regional Court Munich dated March 1, 2023 concerning the supervisory measures. The supervisory order was amended: Twana H.S. no longer has to report to his probation officer during the first half of the month. The probation officer had requested this change, as it could not always be guaranteed that reports would occur in the first half of the month, and the schedule was adjusted.
Next, a letter from the supervisory authority, sent to the Regional Court Munich on July 27, 2023, was read out. It concerned a request to prosecute [German: Strafantrag] due to the Accused’s use of an internet-enabled smartphone. He had previously violated his supervisory measures twice: once by using an internet-enabled television device and once by leaving [redacted location] without permission. The letter noted that any relaxation of restrictions at this time was considered premature.
Finally, a communication from the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution dated April 21, 2022, was read out. It concerned a response to a question about two Islamist preachers whose materials the Accused had been consuming. The first preacher, located in Norway, is an Emir in the Jihadist milieu, enjoys high standing among Islamists, and has recruited individuals for Jihad. Regarding the second preacher, the Office reported that no independent findings were available. Numerous videos were found, but translation was not possible; the content is very likely Islamist in nature.
The proceedings were adjourned at 2:00 PM.
The next trial day will be on September 17, 2025.
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