Ethiopia has been involved in fighting Islamist militants based in Somalia.
Two
British citizens and a Somali man have been jailed in Ethiopia for
trying to establish an Islamic state, a radio affiliated to the
government reports.
The UK Foreign Office has confirmed the detention of two British nationals.
The three men, who received terms ranging from four to seven
years, were alleged to have had links with local jihadists, the Fana
Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) said.
Ethiopia has extremely strict anti-terror laws.
It has long waged a campaign against Islamist militancy in East
Africa - and has been involved in fighting against al-Qaeda linked
militants in neighbouring Somalia.
The country has also faced criticism from donors for jailing
its critics, including some of the country's leading bloggers who are
facing trail on terrorism charges and have been in detention since April
2014.
According to FBC,
Ali Adros Mohammad and Mohammad Sharif Ahmed had lived in London while
Mohammad Ahmed was from Hargeisa in the self-declared republic of
Somaliland.
The trio had been in communication with local members of a
jihadist group since December 2012 and had travelled to the Ethiopian
city of Adama, capital of the Oromia region, where they were conspiring
to carry out terror attacks, it reported.
The Federal High Court in the capital, Addis Ababa, heard
that Ali Adros had travelled to Kenya for military training and had also
made a deal with a local rebel group, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF),
to carry out joint attacks, it said.
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