Serbian Court Jails Seven For Helping Jihadists

The Higher Court in Belgrade on Wednesday found seven people guilty of terrorism. It jailed Abid Podbicanin, Sead Plojovic and Tefik Mujovic for 11 years, Goran Pavlovic for ten, Iznudin Crnovrcanin and Rejhan Plojovic for nine and a half years, while Ferat Kasumovic got seven and a half years.

Podbicanin, Pavlovic and Plovic are believed to be still on the run and were tried in absentia.

Serbia's Tanjug news agency said they were all found guilty of terrorist acts, recruitment and training for terrorist acts, terrorist financing, and public incitement to commit terrorist acts.

It said Pavlovic and Plojovic established links with organizations that the UN has declared  terrorist, the "Islamic State of Iraq and Levant" and "Front Al-Nusra", with the help of Podbicanin and Mujovic.

The court found them guilty of "collecting money from like-minded people in Serbia, the countries of the region and Western Europe, and financing the departure of several Serbian citizens who recruited to participate in armed conflicts, first in camps for terrorist training in Syria, and then on the battlefield," Tanjug said.

Since this was their first trial, they may appeal against the verdict.

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