Terror suspects convicted

An Ethiopian court has sentenced 23 people to up to 15 years in prison for establishing links to the al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab extremist groups. A report on the News24 site notes that the Federal High Court says they had been accused of planning to carry out terror attacks and establish an Islamic state. Court officials say the defendants were active between 2010 and 2014 in six cities including the capital, Addis Ababa. The charge sheet says the defendants recruited individuals and sent them to neighbouring Somalia for training. Al-Shabaab, which has links to al-Qaeda, is based in Somalia.