ARAB-EUROPEAN RELATIONS - Feb. 22 - Four Tunisians Sentenced In Milan.

Four Tunisians, including Essid Sami Ben Khemais alleged to be the head of Al Qaida network in Europe, are found guilty on charges of trafficking in arms, explosives, chemicals and false documents, and of organising illegal immigration into Italy, and sentenced to up to five years in prison by Milan Judge Giovanna Verga. Prosecutor Stefano Dambruoso says: "It's the first verdict in Europe that recognised the existence on European territory of a cell that had strong links with a base in Afghanistan". But the Tunisians were not charged with terrorism or involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks. Defence lawyer Gianluca Maris said: "I'm satisfied because it showed the judge was able to reach a decision despite this difficult climate". But he said he would have preferred a lighter sentence. The defence planned to appeal. The Tunisians denied they were terrorists. (Italian authorities have arrested more than 20 suspected Islamic militants and frozen more than $300m in assets. The four Tunisians are the first of that group to be convicted. The police suspect that Essid Sami Ben Khemais was sent to Italy by Bin Laden to supervise attacks in Europe, including a foiled attempt to bomb the US Embassy in Rome in 2001. Italian justice sources last year released transcripts of telephone conversations in which a man alleged to be Khemais indicated he was planning chemical attacks in Europe. Earlier this year, a Tunisian military court sentenced Khemais in absentia to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of belonging to a group linked to Al Qaida. The Tunisians were arrested between April and October 2001. Their sentence comes four days after the police in Rome arrested four Moroccans who reportedly had maps showing the city water supply, the US Embassy and a substance apparently containing a small quantity of cyanide. Those four - and three others - were charged on Feb. 21 with subversive association).