Stuttgart - A 24-year-old Iraqi refugee living in the south-western German city of Stuttgart has received a suspended sentence of one year and six months for posing for a photo with the heads of beheaded Islamic State terrorists.

The man was found guilty on six charges after posing with six heads lying on the ground in July 2015 when he was a soldier in the Iraqi army.

His aim was to denigrate the dead and demonstrate his own superiority, the court said.

The man came to Germany as a refugee in the autumn of 2015. The photo was later found on his mobile phone.

The regional court in Stuttgart found that the man was not involved in the fighting at the time and was also not involved in the beheadings.