Moroccan Court Sentences 29 Tetouan Terror Cell Members To Jail For Recruiting Insurgents

June 11, 2008 8:37 a.m. EST

Rabat, Morocco (AHN) - A Moroccan court on Wednesday sentenced 29 members of the so-called Tetouan Cell to prison terms ranging from one to eight years for holding unauthorized public meeting and recruiting Moroccans to fight in Iraq.

Authorities believe the men were trying to form a terror group and have links to al-Qaida terror network and Islamic groups in the region and across North Africa.

In May, Moroccan prosecutors have urged the court to sentence the men to prison terms between 10 and 20 years for supporting Iraqi insurgency and plotting terrorist attacks.

The prosecutors said the accused were planning to stage attacks and disrupt law and order in Morocco and recruit men to fight in Iraq and radical Islam.

The defendants' lawyers told the court that it was not illegal under Moroccan law to recruit for volunteers to fight in Iraq. However, the court rejected this argument and found the men guilty.