MOSCOW, November 20 (RAPSI) – The District Court in St. Pölten (Lower Austria) on Friday found a 24-year-old Russian national guilty of participating in activities of the Islamic State and the Caucasus Emirate (Imarat Kavkaz) terrorist groups and sentenced him to 5 years in prison, RIA Novosti reported.

He has been arrested in Turkey and charged with fighting in Syria alongside extremists. A secret witness has confirmed the suspect’s stay in Syria.

The man has pleaded not guilty. The defense lawyers said they will file an appeal against sentence.

According to reports of the local media, the native of Republic of Chechnya came to Austria with his relatives in 2010 and applied for asylum.