TRIPOLI, Lebanon, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed said he drew a life sentence after being tried in absentia in Lebanon on charges of trying to weaken the government.
Mohammed, who was accused of forming a militant extremist group, said in an interview with the BBC from his home in Tripoli, Lebanon, that his lawyer told him about the life term.
The BBC said it had no official confirmation from Lebanese officials and an arrest hadn't been made.
A military court conducted the trial against Mohammed, who was accused of forming the militant group for the purpose of weakening the Lebanese government. He has denied the accusation.
Mohammed lived in London for several years before moving to Lebanon in 2005 after being criticized for apparently supporting al-Qaida, the BBC said. Later, he was banned from returning to Britain.
