Ten Islamic militants were jailed for up to ten years today for their involvement in a millennium plot to blow up a market in the French city of Strasbourg on New Year's Eve 2000.
The Algerians and French citizens of Algerian origin who included an alleged associate of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden - went on trial in October on charges they were involved in the foiled plot for the attack.
The suspects were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to 10 years. They were convicted of criminal association with a terrorist enterprise that state prosecutor Mr Christophe Tessier said had links to Islamic networks in Britain, Italy and Spain.
Co-operation between French and German police led to the arrest in late 2000 of a Frankfurt-based group of Algerians who planned to attack the market.
The bombing "was avoided by a hair," Mr Tessier said. The 10 were accused of varying degrees of involvement.
France opened an investigation after four suspected Islamic radicals arrested in Germany were found to have a map of Strasbourg and a video cassette showing the market. The group had planned to blow up pressure cookers packed with explosives, a technique they learned in Afghan camps.
Among those sentenced was Rabah Kadri (37) who was arrested in London in 2002 and remains in a British prison. He was tried in his absence and jailed for six years.