Egyptian jailed for 15 years for joining Daesh

By Sayed Fathi

CAIRO

An Egyptian court slapped Saturday a suspect with a 15-year jail term for links with Daesh group.

The Cairo Criminal Court jailed the suspect, a driver, for fighting alongside Daesh militants in Syria, a judicial source said on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to media.

Prosecutors say the defendant had joined the militant group in Syria from December 2013 until December 2014.

Saturday’s verdict is still subject to appeal.

Defense lawyer Nabwi Ibrahim said his client’s confessions were made “under torture”.

“My client does not have any political affiliations,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Syria has suffered unspeakable losses over the last five years since Bashar al-Assad's government violently suppressed a peaceful protest against his rule, unleashing a downward spiral of violence that killed hundreds of thousands of victims and displaced millions.