MILAN: A Milan court on Monday dismissed charges against a Milan imam and about 30 others accused of helping organize militants to Bosnia and the Middle East because the statute of limitation has expired, Italian news agencies said.
Among the defendants, only three were convicted of minor charges and handed sentences ranging from 4$ years to 6 years in prison.
The defendants – who come from Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya – were accused of belonging to an organization that financed and provided logistical support to the Salafist Group for Call and Combat and Ansar Al-Islam, radical Islamic groups linked to A-Qaeda. The alleged crimes were committed between 1990-5, news agency Ansa reported.
The imam, Abu Imad, had denied wrongdoing.
