Leader of Islamist group jailed 12 years on terrorism charges

oge okonkwo

February 11, 2015 5:50 PM

Fouad Belkacem leader of the Sharia4Belgium group, was jailed for 12 years by the court in the city of Antwerp

The leader of Islamist group, Sharia4Belgium has been jailed for 12 years after he was found guilty of terrorism and sending jihadist fighters to Syria.

Fourty-six people were also accused of terrorism.

Fouad Belkacem, the leader of the Sharia4Belgium group, was jailed for 12 years by the court in the city of Antwerp, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, Fabienne Nackaerts, told CNN.

Reports say of the 46 people accused in the case, 36 could not be found and their arrest was ordered in their absence, a news release from the Antwerp court said.

Of the 10 who appeared in court, one was acquitted.

Those accused of being leaders in the terror group were sentenced to 10-15 years in prison and fines of 24,000 to 30,000 euros ($27,170 to $33,940), the court said.

Those accused of active membership of Sharia4Belgium without leadership roles were given lesser sentences.

The offenses were committed in Antwerp and Brussels in Belgium as well as in Syria and Turkey between 2010 and 2014, the court said.

The court "also established that Sharia4Belgium has played an active role in the departure of several Syria fighters," it said.

Radical British preacher Anjem Choudary's name was mentioned several times by the prosecutor during the Antwerp trial as having helped Belkacem with setting up Sharia4Belgium.

According to CNN, Choudary acknowledged that he had met Belkacem and said that Belkacem had consulted with him on establishing the group, whose name refers to Sharia, or Islamic, law.

Choudary, who was a co-founder of the banned UK Islamist group Al Muhajiroun, told CNN last August that he believed extremist group ISIS would spread rapidly and be in Europe and the United States within decades.

Hundreds of Belgian citizens are thought to have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join Islamist extremist groups fighting there.

oge okonkwo