Morocco jails ex-Guantanamo man

Said Boujandi was held at Guantanamo Bay prison camp for seven years

A former prisoner at the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay has been jailed for 10 years by a court in Morocco.

Said Boujandi, who is Moroccan, was found guilty on terrorism charges, including planning attacks against foreign interests in northern Morocco.

His lawyer said there would be an appeal against the verdict.

The 39-year-old was captured on the Afghan border in 2001, and held at Guantanamo for seven years before his transfer to Morocco in May this year.

Morocco's official news agency said the terrorism charges also included funding and participating in a criminal group and illegal emigration.

Appeal

The man's lawyer, Toufik Msaef, said he would appeal on the grounds that there were mistakes in the prosecution's case.

"I'm convinced my client will be completely acquitted on appeal," Mr Msaef was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.

Nearly a dozen other former Guantanamo detainees have been transferred back to Morocco, but Mr Msaef said none had been sentenced there.

This was in part because most prosecution cases were based on unreliable evidence provided by the US military.

In a separate development, the Moroccan authorities adjourned until next month the trial of more than 30 people accused of plotting terrorist acts.