A group of seven young men from Syria faced terrorism-related charges in court on Sunday.

The men stand accused of spreading extremist propaganda, teaching others how to operate firearms and explosives and attempting to recruit people to commit acts of terrorism.  

They were also charged with attempting to travel elsewhere in the EU to commit terrorist acts.  

Ajil Al Muhsen, Adnan Maashi, Yazan Abduklaziz, Ahmed Kadas, Khalil Al Mahmoud, Ahmed Ahmed and Mohammed Mohammed all pleaded not guilty to the charges but did not request bail.  

The men, who were greeted by a heavy police presence at the law courts, are aged between 21 and 27, with the majority living in Ħamrun.

One man lives in Birkirkara while another one resides in Pietà. 

Sunday’s court appearance follows an operation on Saturday morning carried out by the police in cooperation with Europol, the EU’s law enforcement authority that targets serious international crime and terrorism.  

The prosecution’s request that the accuseds' assets be frozen was upheld and all seven were remanded in custody.  

Duty magistrate Astrid May Grima presided over Sunday's hearing.