Sudanese man jailed for plotting attack on UAE expatriates

A Sudanese man has been jailed for 10 years by an Emirati court for planning a bomb attack aimed at killing foreigners in the UAE, local media reported.

The Federal Supreme Court also convicted the defendant on charges of supporting the Islamic State group on social media, The National daily reported.

"Prosecutors said he was inspired by the terrorist group's ideology," the Abu Dhabi newspaper added on its website.

The official WAM news agency confirmed that an "Arab national was convicted of planning a terrorist act and creating online accounts to promote Daesh (IS)" and was jailed for 10 years.

Dubai-based Gulf News reported that the same court sentenced a Pakistani man to 10 years in prison for "financing the terrorist organisations Daesh [IS] and al-Qaeda".

The UAE is a member of the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS jihadi groups in Iraq and Syria since September 2014, but its contibution has scaled down since it entered the war in Yemen.

The UAE has enacted tough anti-terror legislation, including the death penalty and harsher jail terms for crimes linked to religious hatred and extremist groups.

The UAE, where jihadist-linked attacks are rare, is home to millions of foreigners.

Attacks have taken place such as the murder of an American teacher by an Emirati woman in an Abu Dhabi mall.