Liberian sentenced to death for spying

An Algerian court has sentenced a Liberian to death “for spying for Israel,” the Algeria Press Service reported on Tuesday.

The case was heard by the Ghardaia Court, 600 km south of the capital Algiers, where six other individuals of different sub-Saharan nationalities were sentenced to 10 years in prison with fines of up to 20 million Algerian dinars (26,000 dollars).

The defendants were charged with spying, conspiracy to seriously undermine Algeria’s security, and glorifying terrorism.

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“They pleaded not guilty, claiming that they entered Algeria to reach Europe,’’ the report said.

The seven people were arrested in January 2016 by security services in downtown Ghardaia amid violent sectarian strife in the region.