BERLIN, June 30: A retired German soldier told a court on Friday he had arranged an arms deal on behalf of the US military during the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, but believed he had official German approval.

The 67-year-old defendant, who was not identified by the court in the western city of Hagen, went on trial accused of organising the purchase of thousands of hand grenades, machineguns and missiles in Romania.

The weapons allegedly went to Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance, which was fighting alongside US troops.

The defendant insisted in court that his US interlocutors, who were also not named, had informed German authorities about the deal.

But German customs authorities said there was no official approval for the sale of the arms.

The accused claims he was approached by the US military after the suicide hijackings of Sept 11, 2001, and had a meeting at the Pentagon.

He said he then travelled through eastern Europe looking for a supplier to fill the order until he made contact with a Romanian state company which provided the weapons. —AFP