French scientist jailed for 'terrorism'

A French court has sentenced an Algerian-born nuclear physicist to five years in prison for his role in plotting terrorism with al-Qaida's north African wing. Adlene Hicheur, a former researcher at Switzerland's CERN laboratory, was convicted of "criminal association with a view to plotting terrorist attacks." Hicheur, who has been behind bars since he was arrested in October 2009, could have received up to 10 years in prison. The 35-year-old scientist and his defenders say he was a victim of allegedly overzealous French anti-terrorism laws and that he explored ideas on jihadist websites but never took any concrete step toward terrorism. Speaking after the judgment, Hicheur's lawyer called the verdict "scandalous." Lawyer Patrick Baudouin said because of sentence reduction measures such as time off for good behavior, "he should be out rather quickly." The case centered on about 35 emails between Hicheur and an alleged contact with Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb named Mustapha Debchi, who tried to convince him to carry out a suicide bombing. Hicheur declined, but in one response suggested striking at the barracks of a battalion of elite Alpine troops in the eastern town Cran-Gevrier.