A Bangladeshi, originally held on suspicion of having connections with al-Qaeda, was given a suspended sentence Thursday for staying in Japan without a visa and now faces deportation.
The Tokyo District Court handed Ahmed Faishal, 26, a sentence of two years, which was suspended for five years, after he admitted staying in the country illegally. The hearing did not touch on the alleged connection with al-Qaeda.
The indictment said Faishal sneaked into Japan aboard a ship from South Korea in January 1997. He had been living in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture.
Faishal and four other foreigners, including his brother, Islam Mohamed Himu, 33, were arrested in late May during an investigation into suspected al-Qaeda activities related to an Interpol-listed French national who spent for more than a year in Japan.