Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PARIS (AP) — A Frenchman accused of operating an al-Qaida propaganda website goes on trial Tuesday on charges of promoting terrorism.
The jailing of 27-year-old Romain Letellier was the first since a 2012 law was passed allowing jail time for "cyberjihad" in response to attacks by a French radical Islamist on a Jewish school and soldiers that killed seven. The attacker died in a shootout with police.
The prosecutor has said the website administrated by Letellier had more than 4,000 members, including 700 who were active. Arrested in September in Normandy, he also faces charges for translating and disseminating al-Qaida's Inspire magazine. Under the law, he faces five years in prison if convicted.
No attacks are linked to the site, and in a February hearing he said that was never his intention.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
