Terror convict. Photo Khaleej Times

A court of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sentenced on Sunday 11 persons to life imprisonment over terror charges with two being sentenced in absentia.

Twenty-three  others received prison terms ranging from five to 15 years, while the rest seven were acquitted by the court.

An official report from Abu Dhabi disclosed that the 11 given life jail  were accused of being members of a group called “the youth lighthouse” and of planning terrorist activities in the Gulf Arab nations.

According to Khaleej Times, the Public Prosecution charged a total of 41 members of the  group for plotting to carry out terrorist operations throughout the country, endangering the safety and security of the country and the lives of individuals, including the leadership and its symbols with the intention to cause damage to state and private infrastructure, destabilise the country and establish a ‘caliphate’.

They were also charged with possessing firearms and ammunition with the intention of committing attacks, in addition to maintaining contacts and raising funds and financial support to other terrorist groups such as Al Nusra Front and Daesh in Syria.