Tunisian court upholds 55-year sentence for ISIS leader
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – A Tunisian appeals court on Monday upheld a 55-year prison sentence against Bilal al-Shawashi, a leader of the banned Ansar al-Sharia group, after convicting him on terrorism-related charges linked to travel to Syria and fighting alongside extremist organizations.
According to the ruling, al-Shawashi was found guilty of joining a terrorist organization outside Tunisia, receiving military training inside and outside the country to carry out terrorist acts, and using Tunisian territory to recruit individuals for extremist groups.
Tunisia’s Interior Ministry designated al-Shawashi as a terrorist in 2019 after authorities said he had joined the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.
His assets were also frozen under a decision by Tunisia’s National Counter-Terrorism Commission.
According to Tunisian authorities, al-Shawashi previously appeared in a video released after the 2015 bombing of a presidential guard bus in Tunis, in which he threatened to carry out further attacks.