A Yemeni state security court has sentenced jihadist Imam Anwar al-Awlaki to 10 years in jail in connection with the slaying of a French contractor.

Awlaki, an American citizen who is wanted dead or alive by the U.S. government for his role in providing religious legitimization for terrorist attacks, was convicted in absentia for inciting the October 6, 2010 killing of Jacques Spagnolo. Spagnolo, a French citizen, was working as a contractor with the Sana'a office of OMV, an Austrian oil and chemical firm.

The terrorist who fatally shot Spagnolo, 19-year-old Hisham Mohammed Assem, was sentenced to death. Awlaki's cousin, Othman al-Awlaki, convicted in absentia of inciting the killing of foreigners, was sentenced to eight years in jail.

Security court Judge Muhssein Allwan said the Awlakis encouraged Assem, a security guard at the company, to murder Spagnolo.

"All these acts threaten the stability of the country and the terrorist organizations try to make the country a hotbed for them," Allwan said in announcing the verdict. "The attack is an attack on the public order."

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