A Spanish terror trial has sent a Syrian man to jail for helping al Qaeda organize the 9/11 attack -- but it also jailed an al-Jazeera journalist for seven years.

Some excerpts:

A Spanish court has jailed a man accused of heading a Spanish al-Qaeda cell for 27 years for helping to organise the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Imad Yarkas was jailed along with 17 other men convicted on charges of aiding al-Qaeda.

Two others accused of involvement in the attacks were among six cleared in Europe's biggest terror trial.

A journalist for Arabic TV network al-Jazeera was also jailed for seven years for collaborating with al-Qaeda.

The 17 men convicted were sentenced to between six and 11 years in jail for a range of offences.  ...

The other defendants - mostly men born in Syria or Morocco - were charged with belonging to a terrorist group, but not of planning for 11 September.

They faced sentences of nine to 21 years if convicted.

Among them was a journalist from the Arabic TV station al-Jazeera, Tayssir Alouni, who interviewed Bin Laden after the attacks, jailed for seven years for collaboration.