Hagenow, Germany  - Two soldiers who have now left the German Army were fined Thursday for assaulting Italian guests in a bar.

A third soldier was found not guilty by the court in Hagenow, between Hamburg and Berlin.

The judge said the three victims were clearly assaulted because they were Italian but there was no wider anti-Italian motive. He said barroom attacks in the district in Mecklenburg were just as likely to be aimed at Germans from other regions of the country.

"We've tried brawls here where the accused just didn't like the accent of someone from Saxony or Hesse," he said.