A Turkish court has sentenced two journalists to five years in prison on charges of revealing state secrets, the BBC reported on Friday.

Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, the former editor and Ankara bureau chief of leading opposition daily Cumhuriyet, were prosecuted over a report alleging the Turkish government had tried to ship arms to Islamists in Syria.

The prosecution has been widely criticized by international observers.

Shortly before the verdict, a gunman attempted to kill Dundar.

The assailant fired several shots while Dundar was briefing reporters outside the courthouse. Dundar escaped unharmed and the gunman was arrested. A reporter was lightly injured in the leg.

Dundar and Gul were charged in November with espionage after their reporting alleged Turkey's intelligence services were sending weapons and ammunition to Islamist rebels fighting the Syrian regime.