HAMBURG, Feb 5: A German court on Thursday acquitted a Moroccan student of involvement in the Sept 11 attacks in the United States, saying the evidence against him was not strong enough for a conviction.

Abdelghani Mzoudi was cleared of charges of accessory to murder on more than 3,000 counts and membership of a terrorist organization, after only the second trial worldwide over the 2001 suicide plane attacks.

"Mr Mzoudi, you are acquitted," presiding judge Klaus Ruehle told him, but added: "This is not a reason to be jubilant."

He said the court had reached its decision not "because it was convinced of the innocence of the accused, but because there was not enough evidence for a conviction".

"It appears that some of the preparation of the attacks was not hidden from you. However, the opposite is also possible."

Chief prosecutor Walter Hemberger immediately announced an appeal, saying that "we are convinced that the accused was guilty of accessory to murder and membership of a terrorist organization".

Mzoudi's lawyers, for their part, praised the court's "independence". "This is a great day for justice," attorney Michael Rosenthal told a press conference. "We're very proud of our justice system."

Guel Pinar, the chief attorney for 31-year-old Mzoudi, said her client now wanted to resume his studies in electronics that were interrupted when he was arrested in Oct 2002.

However, the Hamburg city senator responsible for justice, Dirk Nockemann, said authorities were considering whether to expel Mzoudi. -AFP