Four Europeans convicted of plotting to kill President Denis Sassou Nguesso have been pardoned and were deported from the country on Saturday, AFP reported. The four - a Croatian, an Italian and two Frenchmen - were sentenced to jail terms ranging from two to seven years by a court in Brazzaville earlier this month. They had been accused of acting on behalf of ousted president Pascal Lissouba. AFP said the defendants asserted their innocence, testifying they had been invited to the country to train military cadets in security techniques.
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