A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced 11 people charged with terrorism and raising money for al Qaeda and Islamic State terror group in Syria to life imprisonment. A total of 41 defendants were charged in October with possessing firearms and ammunition with the intention of committing terrorist crimes against the country and its security.
State news agency WAM reported yesterday that 23 of the remaining 41 defendants were sentenced to between five and 15 years behind bars and the rest were acquitted. Islamic State has pledged to overthrow the monarchies of the Gulf and mounted a series of attacks on Shi’ite Muslim mosques and security forces in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.