The Nepali national convicted is 44-year-old D P Paudel, who will be deported from Cambodia after serving his jail term as he is an illegal immigrant, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.[break]
The trios were convicted of terrorism stemming from signing a letter that threatened to attack American, Australian and British embassies in Phnom Penh last April and identified themselves in the letter as members of the al-Qaida.
"Despite their denial, they don´t have enough evidence to substantiate their denial," Judge Sun Visal said announcing the verdict.
Bangladeshi nationals Rafiqul Eslami, 42 and Miah Muhammed Huymayan Kabir, 62, were also convicted. They told reporters after the verdict that they will file to the Court of Appeal against the verdict.
DP Paudel outside the court during earlier hearing. The Phnom Pehn Post
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During the hearing, Sun Visal said Cambodian police investigations showed the suspects had links to the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation and the Taliban.
“We think that this is one of the most serious crimes and complicated cases to be considered by the court,” The Phnom Pehn Post quoted Sun Visal.
In multiple court hearings, the accused have denied sending any letters to embassies in Phnom Penh and have also denied involvement in any terrorist groups.
During February 1 hearing, Paudel made a final plea for his release. “I have not committed this crime against these embassies,” he said. “Therefore, I would like to ask the court to drop charges against me and release me to go back to my country.”
Eslami, a former restaurant owner, has previously testified that he had been framed by people who wanted to extort money from him following the sale of his restaurant.
