A Limassol district court has sentenced a 26-year-old Syrian man to two years in prison in connection with electronic training activity for possible terrorism-related crimes.
The defendant had been remanded in the island’s Central Prison since July 2021, Philenews reported on Thursday citing insiders.
One also said that after completing his prison sentence he is expected to be deported even though the Syrian is in Cyprus under a subsidiary protection status.
The accused was arrested on January 3, 2021 after police searched a home in Limassol’s mountainous region following a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Counter-Terrorism.
A computer user in that house had been chatting about terrorism and recruitment issues through a social networking platform, insiders said.
Over 3,000 videos, documents and blueprints were on his mobile phone showing training material on combat practice, use and manufacture of weapons.
As well as on sniper training, training for making bombs, improvised explosive devices, detonators, setting up minefields and mixing up chemical, biological, radiological, silica and other harmful or dangerous substances.
An insider also said that the records were in such a context of guidance that by viewing them and following the instructions one would be able to construct bombs, improvised explosive devices, etc.
Also, the videos in question showed emblems of recognised terrorist organisations and phrases such as “the enemy should be fought through jihad”.
