German court rejects Iraqi's appeal over killing of teen

BERLIN (AP) - A German federal court said Tuesday it has thrown out a rejected Iraqi asylum-seeker's appeal against his conviction for raping and murdering a 14-year-old local girl.

Ali Bashar was convicted by the Wiesbaden state court in July following a four-month trial in a case that fueled tensions over migration. The court ruled there was a 'œparticular severity of guilt,'ť meaning that he likely won't be released after 15 years as is common in Germany.

Bashar, who was 21 at the time of the killing, was convicted of assaulting and murdering Susanna Feldman in Wiesbaden in May 2018.

Bashar and his family abruptly left a home for asylum applicants in Germany after the killing, and he was later arrested by Kurdish forces in Iraq, handed over to German police officers and flown back to Germany. Bashar is believed to have arrived in Germany in October 2015.

The Federal Court of Justice said it threw out Bashar's appeal in an April 28 ruling. Among other objections to his conviction, he had argued that his return from Iraq constituted a 'œprocedural impediment.'ť