ABU DHABI // A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for fighting with a terrorist group in Syria, while his sister will be jailed for five years for tweeting insults against the UAE.
At the Federal Supreme Court the Emirati was found guilty of joining the Ahrar Al Sham terrorist organisation in 2013 and receiving military training to help with its objectives.
His 34-year-older sister was sentenced to five years in prison and fined Dh500,000 for posting tweets that were meant to provoke hatred of the state, harm social peace, and disturbing public order.
The mother-of-five was also found guilty of establishing and managing several online accounts that published hateful information.
The man’s lawyer told the court his client had travelled to Syria after learning his father had been killed while fighting with Ahrar Al Sham.
He explained he only intended to retrieve his father’s body for burial.
The court ordered all online accounts of the defendants to be shut down.
nalremeithi@thenational.ae
