10 Al-Khafji terror suspects get jail terms

The special criminal court in Riyadh has awarded varying jail terms to 10 suspects who belonged to Al-Khafji terror cell. The court did not issue a verdict against one suspect (Defendant No. 4) because of his absence.
Defendant No. 1, the main accused and leader of the cell, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The court found that he was guilty of six charges, including money laundering and illegal possession of weapons. He has also been banned from traveling for 15 years after serving his jail term.
All convicts are to appeal the verdict while the public prosecutor will also approach the higher court seeking stiffer punishment.
The court awarded 10 years in prison to Defendant Nos. 2 and 6, in addition to travel ban of 10 and 13 years respectively. Defendant Nos. 3 and 10 were sentenced to two years in prison and a travel ban of an equal term. Defendant No. 5 was given eight years imprisonment and a travel ban of the equal period while Defendant No. 7 was sentenced to 13 years in prison and a travel ban of equal period. The court awarded six years of imprisonment and travel ban to Defendant No. 8 whereas Defendant No. 9 was sentenced to 9 years in prison and an equal period of travel ban. Defendant No. 11 was granted five years each of imprisonment and travel ban.
The court also ordered confiscation of all materials related with the charges leveled against them, and these included weapons, books, and CDs. While directing to take a strong pledge from the suspects to the effect that they should neither return to their previous wrongdoing nor to associate with any citizens with dubious background, the court warned that stringent penal action shall be taken against anyone who violate this ruling.

Terror suspects used code names
Ten defendants in the “Cell of 55” terrorist group appeared before a special criminal court yesterday and listened to charges the Prosecution and Investigation Commission (PIC) compiled against them, which were:
Court sources said police officers in the criminal investigation department were able to decipher a code Defendant No. 46 used to deter the police. They said the defendant was using the term “players” to indicate terrorists and “playground” for Riyadh.
The accused that appeared before the court yesterday were Defendant Nos. 41 to 50. They were accused of joining a terrorist organization, taking up arms against the government and dissipating the wealth of the country.
Defendant No. 50 was also accused of physically attacking a prison guard in Madinah, forcibly confiscating the keys from him and opening the rooms so other prisoners could escape. He was also charged with agitating prisoners to spread chaos, attempting to commit suicide and deliberately messing with electric wires to set fire to the prison.
Defendant No. 41 faced eight charges, including covering for other suspects, keeping video films featuring terrorist operations and collecting data about Lt. Col. Al-Sawwat, who was killed during a confrontation with the terrorists in Makkah.
The attorney general accused the Defendant No. 43 with 21 charges, including acquiring a machine gun and a pistol, accommodating wanted terrorists in his home, buying motorbikes for training to carry out terrorist operations and collecting audio-visual clips in which terrorists recorded their last wills.
Defendant No. 44 faced nine charges, including preparing his home to accommodate wanted terrorists and supporting the killing of innocent people while Defendant No. 45 was charged with harboring terrorists in his home, giving his own private car to one of the wanted terrorists, giving his ID card to another to use and giving false information to the police about a terrorist operation with the intention to cause damage to a government hospital.
The Defendant No. 46 was charged with receiving training by a wanted terrorist, joining a body building club to be fit for terrorist acts and using code names to mislead the police.
Defendant No. 47 faced 12 charges, including attempts to obtain poison online, specifying targets for the terrorists to hit, harboring a number of the wanted terrorists and delivering a sum of SR 200,000 to terrorist leader Saleh Al-Oufi.
Defendant No. 48 was accused of expressing disrespect for the people who lost their lives defending the country and deliberately setting his personal computer on fire to conceal data that might uncover other terrorists.
Defendant No. 49 was accused of suspicious transactions from his bank account and supporting demonstrations against the government.
A number of the accused asked the court to release them for various illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases and others. The judge in the case told them that their pleas would be considered. He promised them the court would release them if they were seriously ill.