Three Amsterdammers of Moroccan origin have been found guilty by a Belgian appeal court of membership of a terrorist organisation.

The three were arrested in 2010 at the request of the Belgian authorities and were deported to Belgium in 2011.

In total, 14 suspects were involved in the appeal trial and almost all, including the three Dutch nationals Samir S, Soufian B and Redouan A, were jailed for between five and eight years. A lower court had found the men not guilty.

The group are said to have collected money and recruited fighters for jihad in Chechnya. Charges of conspiring to launch a terrorist attack in Belgium were dropped against the three Dutch nationals prior to their deportation.

The three men all deny involvement in terrorism. Samir S is a former youth worker in Amsterdam West and was a well-respected community figure. According to the Parool, in 2010 he hit the headlines after overpowering an armed robber.