Court hands out 11 capital punishment sentences in case of extremist underground group

The court of appeal of Casablanca on Friday night handed out 10 capital punishment sentences in the case of 31 members of the underground extremist group "Salafia Jihadia."

The court that started its hearing in the case on June 25 also condemned other members to life imprisonment while others were sentenced to prison sentences ranging between 20 and one year.

The defendants, known as "Youssef Fikri" group, were standing trial for charges of setting up a gang, manslaughter, mutilation and hiding corpse parts, illegal detention of firearms and ammunitions, robbery, arson, kidnapping, sequestration, forgery and identity usurpation.

Most of the defendants denied the charges held against them while other defendants confessed the crimes.

Those sentenced to capital punishment are Youssef Fikri, Mohamed Damir, Saleh Zarli, Abderrazak Faouzi, Kamal Hanouichi, Bouchaib Guermach, Lakbir Koutoubi, Bouchaib Mghader, Omar Maarouf and Laarbi Daqiq.

Life prison sentences were handed out against 7 defendants, namely Abderrahman Majdoubi, Rachid Amrine, Miloud Mandour, Mustapha Lakrimi, Houssein Berghachi, Yazid Ajref, Mourad Sarouf and Mohamed Jok. Six other members of the group were sentenced to 20 years in prison and five to 10 years. One defendant got a one year-prison sentence.