BAMAKO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Four terrorists of the Maghreb wing of Al-Qaeda (AQMI) were sentenced then released by Malian authorities, apparently under the pressure of both the terror group and Paris in a hostage swap, the local newspaper l'Independent said on Friday.

The four were reportedly set free on Thursday without the confirmation from official sources.

Their release was one of the conditions put forward by the AQMI in exchange for the freedom of French hostage Pierre Camatte, who was kidnaped in the north of Mali and whose execution ultimatum was set on Saturday.

According to l'Independent, an extraordinary session of the court in district lll (Bamako) was opened 6:00 a. m. local time on Thursday.

"On the day's proceedings, there was the hearing of the case of the four AQMI terrorists who were arrested in the month of April 2009 for possessing arms and ammunition during a search operation that was carried out by the Malian army in Kidal region.

"The court declared the suspects guilty of possessing illegal arms and ammunition, sentenced them to nine months imprisonment and ordered the confiscation of the seized arms and ammunition from them," l'Independent reported.

But the newspaper immediately added "important information," saying "the suspects have already served their sentence and this automatically opens the way for them to be released."

"The hearing of the case on this date as well as the verdict that was arrived at could be considered as the direct result of intense pressure that was exerted on Bamako from Paris which was evident after (French Foreign Minister) Bernard Kouchner visited Mali twice in a space of two weeks," l'Independent said.

The four terrorists whose photos were carried by the article include Mohamed Ben Ali, born in 1969 in Algiers, Algeria, and a former railway company staff; Beib Ould Nafa, born in 1985 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, without profession; Houd Karifo, born in 1984 at Zeko of Burkina Faso; and Tayed Nail of Algerian nationality.