Longer sentences for al-Qaeda men

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Three men linked to al-Qaeda, who admitted inciting terrorist attacks against non-Muslims via the internet, have had their sentences increased.

Younes Tsouli, 24, had a 10-year jail term raised to 16 years, while Waseem Mughal, 24, had seven-and-a-half-years lengthened to 12.

And Tariq Al-Daour, 22, originally jailed for six-and-a-half years, had his term increased to 10 years.

The Court of Appeal agreed the original terms were "unduly lenient".

The decision was taken after being referred under the Unduly Lenient sentence scheme by Vera Baird, the Solicitor General.

'Global conspiracy'

The solicitor general said: "I referred the sentences given to these three offenders to the Court of Appeal because I considered that the sentences did not properly reflect the seriousness of the offences, the need to punish the offenders and the need to deter others from such serious conduct."

Al-Daour was also sentenced to a further two years to run consecutively on a separate fraud offence.

The three men are the first people to be convicted of inciting terrorist murder via the internet.

During their trial, Woolwich Crown Court heard that Al-Daour and Tsouli, both of west London, and Mughal, of Chatham, Kent, had close links with al-Qaeda in Iraq and believed there was a "global conspiracy" to wipe out Islam.

For at least a year, they used e-mail and radical websites to try to encourage people to follow the ideology of Osama Bin Laden.

Conspiracy admission

The jury heard footage was found in their belongings of Briton Ken Bigley pleading for his life and Americans Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl being killed.

Following a two-month trial, all three admitted inciting another person to commit an act of terrorism wholly or partly outside the UK which would, if committed in England and Wales, constitute murder.

They also admitted conspiring together and with others to defraud banks, credit card companies and charge card companies.

Computers, notebooks and digital storage media were seized when police raided the homes of the three men.

They were originally sentenced in July.