Syrian man given 16-year prison sentence in Denmark for Daesh/ISIS ties

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AA) - A Syrian man, 35, was given a 16-year prison sentence Tuesday after being found guilty of attempting, financing and promoting terrorism in Denmark and abroad on behalf of the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

Ali Al Masry was convicted by a court in Holbæk alongside his wife, 31, and his brother, 37 -- each given sentences of nine and six months on terror financing charges.

The sentence is the longest punishment given by a Danish court in recent history in Denmark in a terror-related case.

Al Masry was arrested Feb. 6, 2021, along with his family members, on a tip from German police.

After he was arrested, Danish authorities said 16 kilograms (35 pounds) of chemicals and a remote-controlled car were recovered from his residence, along with bomb manuals and radical propaganda materials.

“There are simply no mitigating circumstances in this case. There is nothing worse than the killing of innocent random people,” prosecutor John Catre Nielsen told the court ahead of sentencing.

Al Masry was also given a deportation order that allows authorities to immediately deport him after his sentence.

Meanwhile, his wife convicted of transferring $750 to her husband while on the Daesh/ISIS payroll at the time of transfer, managed to survive deportation to Iraq because her lawyers successfully argued that she has nothing there for her to live in that country. That decision came despite strong reservations from the prosecution.

Al Masry has 14 days to decide if he will challenge the court’s decision in appellate court.