BAGHDAD (Reuters) -An Iranian man and four Iraqis were sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for killing U.S. citizen Stephen Troell in Baghdad last year, two legal sources said.
Troell was killed during a botched attempt to kidnap him in November, police said at the time.
"The Iranian man was the mastermind of the crime," one legal source said. All five were arrested in Iraq soon after Troell's murder, the source added.
Court officials did not name the defendants but said the four Iraqis were members of a Shi’ite Muslim militia.
The U.S. Department of State on Thursday said it welcomed the convictions.
"It is critical that all those responsible for the brutal, premeditated assassination of Mr. Troell face justice and accountability," department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Chris Reese)
