A Beirut court handed long prison sentences on Wednesday to members of a gang who kidnapped seven Estonian cyclists in Lebanon eight years ago.

The military tribunal presided over by Brig. Gen. Hussein Abdullah decided to imprison the gang's leaders for life, handing lengthy sentences to other members, Postimees reports (link in Estonian).

The court convicted members of the gang of kidnapping seven Estonians in March of 2011 and detaining and torturing them over 111 days with the aim of securing a ransom from the Estonian government.

The gang's members were also convicted of stealing a car, staging a robbery using a stolen car and aiding and abetting a crime. The group used the stolen vehicle for the murder of high-ranking military officials Rashid Sabri and attempted murder of Mohammed Yassin.

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