[JURIST Europe] A Belgian court has convicted three men for being members of an Islamic group connected to terror attacks in Casablanca in May 2003 and Madrid in March 2004. The men were on trial [JURIST report] for their alleged membership in a Belgian cell of the militant Moroccan Islamist Combatant Group (GICM) [CDI profile]. The case was the first brought under Belgium's tough new anti-terror laws which criminalize the association of individuals with terrorist groups and acts.

Sentences for belonging to a terrorist group can reach five years, while a conviction for coordinating a terrorist attack carries up to ten years incarceration. Two of the accused were sentenced to seven years while the third defendant received six years. All three are Belgian nationals of Moroccan descent. BBC News has more.

Angela Onikepe is an Associate Editor for JURIST Europe, reporting European legal news from a European perspective. She is based in the UK.