May 4, 8:23 AM EDT
Albania
court jails former imam in absentia for terrorism
TIRANA, Albania (AP) -- An Albanian court
has sentenced in absentia a former Muslim imam accused of terrorism charges
including recruiting and sending men to fight with rebel groups in Syria.
The Serious Crime Court on Thursday
ordered 15 years in prison for Almir Daci, who has been imam at Leshnice
village, Pogradec district, 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of the capital
Tirana.
Daci, who is believed to be fighting with
rebels in Syria, has recruited some 25 men in eastern Albania.
About two-thirds of Albania's three
million people are Muslims. Despite calls from mainstream religious leaders not
to join rebel groups in Syria and Iraq, scores of Albanians are believed to
have joined Islamic extremist groups there.
