Jordan: Al-Qaeda members sentenced to jail terms of between 10 and two years

A Jordanian military court has sentenced eight Jordanian Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists to jail terms of between 10 and two years for plotting attacks on US and Israeli targets. Convicted ringleader Ahmad Shbaneh was handed a 10-year jail term, although the prosecutor had demanded the death penalty against him and his co-defendants, three of whom are on the run.

Fugitives Ahmad Yassin and Haitham al-Gazzaz were also given a 10-year term, while the other defendants were sentenced to between two and seven-and-a-half years in prison, the AFP reported.

The court said it opted for lighter sentences to give the suspects a chance to improve themselves.

Defence lawyers said they will appeal the verdicts.

The five defendants who appeared in court chanted Islamic slogans when the verdict was read out,  AFP said.

"The charges against us are an honour," they said in unison, while one of them knelt and kissed the ground.

Before the hearing started, the suspects told reporters, "We are not bloodthirsty but we are determined to safeguard the dignity of Islam".