Jordan jails citizen who defected from IS

A Jordanian man who defected from the Islamic State group and turned himself in to Jordanian authorities was sentenced to four years in jail on Monday.

The man, in his 30s, was accused of "membership in terrorist groups".

He had travelled to Syria via Turkey and joined IS at its self-declared capital in Raqa where he trained in the use of weapons, according to the charge sheet.

But the man soon realised that IS action was "contrary to sharia (Islamic) law" and decided to defect, returning home in July and turning himself in to authorities, it said.

He said he had joined IS after a friend convinced him that "jihad (holy war) in Syria and Iraq is a duty".

Jordan is a key Arab member of the US-led coalition battling IS in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

Last year it amended its anti-terror law to make it an offence to "belong to or attempt to join any armed group or terrorist organisation".