Forty six people, most of them still at large, went on trial in Belgium on Monday for suspected membership of a group believed to be sending extremist fighters to Syria.

Armed police guarded the court in the northern port city of Antwerp where 16 people alleged to be part of the so-called "Sharia4Belgium", including its head Fouad Belkacem, are being tried on charges of leading a terrorist organization.

If convicted, they could face 20 years in prison.

The remaining 30 are being tried on charges of belonging to the so-called "Sharia4Belgium".
Present for the trial were Belkacem, an extremist ideologue known for his sermons in the streets and on the Internet, and seven others.

The defendants who are at large are believed to be in Syria where some of them may have been killed, according to the federal justice office.
Investigators said Belkacem never travelled to Syria, unlike most of the members of the group, but he was the "catalyst" who prompted many to go and fight there.

"Sharia4Belgium", based in Antwerp, campaigned for the introduction of the so-called "Sharia Islamic" law in Belgium.
In 2012, it said it was disbanding but the authorities suspect that it has continued to recruit dozens of volunteers to fight in Syria.

Officials say that up to 400 Belgian nationals may have gone to fight in Syria, with about a quarter having returned home.

Source: Agencies