One of Germany's most notorious Islamist preachers, Sven Lau, was sentenced on Wednesday to five and a half years in jail for backing a terrorist group. The German Salafist convert, who had previously sparked outrage by forming a "sharia police" vigilante group, was convicted for helping to recruit for Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JMA) or Army of Emigrants and Supporters. Prosecutors said Lau was the main contact for JMA in the western city of Düsseldorf. The 36-year-old had also travelled to Syria in September 2013 and had purchased night vision equipment for the jihadist group, prosecutors said. However, a German court in November ruled the vigilante group did not break the law.

Source: The Local July 26, 2017 15:33 UTC