Off the wire
• Three prosecuted for burying hazardous waste in east China  • China to establish comprehensive food safety standard system: report  • Tibet sets standards for Thangka paintings  • 6 killed, 8 injured in armed attack in Sudan's Darfur: report  • British FTSE 100 rises 0.06 pct on Friday  • Italian gov't comes to rescue ailing bank  • Lawmakers call for heavier punishment for water pollution  • China to set up 126 smog monitoring sites  • EC supports Albania's EU drive with 93 mln USD  • Cristiano Ronaldo tells Syrian children: "You are true heroes"  
You are here: 　 Home

Belgian extremist recruiter sentenced to 10 years in prison

Xinhua, December 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Belgian man who led a gang recruiting young people to fight in Syria for the Islamic State(IS), was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a criminal court in the city of Brugge on Friday.

Police investigations found that the gang members held barbecues in their homes to preach extremist ideology and raise money for sending people to Syria via Turkey. The 46-year-old man played the role of a leader in the gang.

Three members of the gang, including the leader, had been to Syria to fight, the court verdict revealed.

A total of 13 people involved in the gang stood trial on Friday, of whom 12 were given prison sentences ranging from 15 months to 10 years, and one acquitted.

The investigations began in October 2014 when a 35-year-old fighter returned from Syria with severe injuries and caught the attention of the police.

The fighter was sentenced to eight years in prison by the court. Endit