A German court convicted four Algerians of conspiracy to murder this morning and handed them sentences of 10 to 12 years in jail.
The Frankfurt court found the four accused - Aeurobui Beandali, Salim Boukhari, Fouhad Sabour and Lamine Maroni - guilty of preparing a bomb attack in the French city of Strasbourg in December 2000 and conspiracy to murder.
Prosecutors said the Algerians trained in Afghanistan in camps financed by al-Qaeda and wanted to wage a "Holy War" in Europe. But they were not accused of involvement in the September 11th, 2001, attacks on US cities.
Police foiled the Strasbourg plot when they arrested the men in Frankfurt in December 2000. Prosecutors said the accused had amassed weapons, ammunition and explosives for the attack and also had contacts with extremists in Britain and Italy.
Prosecutors said the men had planned to bomb the Christmas market in the French city, but the Algerians said their target had been a synagogue in Strasbourg.