Jeddah, May 28 (Arab News ) : A special criminal court in Riyadh resumed yesterday the trials of several suspects allegedly belonging to the terror cells dubbed Khalediya and Al-Juwair.
The suspects included one who allegedly raised funds worth SR 1 million for the late Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. The public prosecutor urged the judge to hand down death sentences to six defendants allegedly from Khalediya, five suspects accused of being from Al-Juwair in addition to the maximum jail sentence for three defendants allegedly involved in money laundering.
When the court began its proceedings in the morning, the public prosecutor read out charges against six suspects from Khalediya cell. Almost all of them are accused of embracing the deviant takfiri ideology and joining Al-Qaeda.
Charges against Defendant No. 8 included firing at security men in a shootout at a villa, recruiting terrorists for Al-Qaeda, possession of a machine gun and rocket propelled grenades, leasing a villa for SR 40,000 and three vehicles to carry out terror activities, and receiving SR 13,000 to carry out terrorist attacks outside the Kingdom.
Defendant No. 9 was accused of leasing a building in Al-Rabwa on behalf of a terror cell for a rent of SR 20,000, supporting a cell by renting out a building in Al-Houta, forging documents to obtain three bags of the explosive ammonium nitrate, and possession of five bombs.
Charges against Defendant No. 10 included giving shelter to terrorists, extending medical support to terrorists injured during the Al-Faiha terror attacks, and attempting to persuade a doctor who treated terrorists to join Al-Qaeda, while Defendant No. 11 allegedly collected SR 1 million for Bin Laden. He was also accused of raising SR 237,000 for Al-Qaeda, giving shelter to several wanted terrorists, extending media support to Al-Qaeda and searching for experts to make explosives as well as assassins to target key Saudi figures.
The public prosecutor also read out charges against Defendant Nos. 12, 13 and 14, which included arranging transportation for a terrorist to travel outside the Kingdom, a bid to carry out suicide attacks, extending medical aid to some terrorists who were injured in a shootout with security forces in Alkhobar, buying a car for SR 35,000 and giving it to a terrorist to enable him to meet other terrorists in various regions of the Kingdom, and possession of machine guns.
The court also examined charges against Al-Juwair cell members. Eight defendants (Nos. 33 to 40) from the cell heard the charges against them yesterday from the public prosecutor. Charges against Defendant No. 34 included pledging allegiance to Bin Laden and fellow late Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and posting Al-Qaeda-related reports on websites.