Russian Court Convicts, Sentences Turkish Man As Member Of Islamic State

A court in Russia has sentenced a Turkish citizen to four years in jail after finding him guilty of being an active member of the Islamic State (IS) extremist organization in Syria.

The North Caucasus Regional Court in Rostov-on-Don on October 4 also found Atac Firat guilty of forgery and illegally crossing the border.

Reports said Firat pleaded guilty to the charges.

After spending three years in Syria fighting alongside the IS militants, Firat traveled through Turkey in 2014 to reach Russia using faked documents.

The court ruled that Firat continued cooperating with IS militants in Syria via the Internet after he set up residence in the Russian city of Krasnodar.

Russian authorities arrested Firat in October 2015 as he was trying to return from Russia to Turkey using a faked travel document.

Based on reporting by RIA and Interfax