Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
An Algerian court has sentenced three Moroccans to three years imprisonment for plotting to join al-Qaeda insurgents in Iraq, Algeria's official news agency, APS, said on Tuesday.
The three youths crossed illegally from Morocco into Algeria and were arrested last year after Algerian police intercepted a cell phone conversation between one of them and an Algerian militant called Mohamed Aghbalou, according to APS.
Aghbalou was to lead the three Moroccans to Islamist militant strongholds in northern Algeria and from there they were to travel to Iraq to join al Qaeda, a judicial source was quoted as saying.
Yacine Bouheltit, Bilel Al-Aloui and Mohamed Al-Hamedi were sentenced on Monday.
After years of armed conflict with Islamist militants that claimed about 200,000 lives, the Algeria government is gradually emerging to consolidate peace. But al Qaeda's North African wing remains active, carrying out sporadic attacks on government targets.
Algeria has jailed several militants in the past few years for planning to travel to Iraq.
AFCON: 46 hurt in Zambia victory celebrations09/02
African Peer Review Mechanism making progress08/02
Combating HIV infections among African women08/02
Legume cultivation booms in Western Kenya07/02
Malawi vendors chase out Chinese07/02
Zim: Informal sector urged to join HIV battle05/02
Elections: Wole Soyinka warns Mugabe, Wade03/02
AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02
