"My client is innocent of all the serious charges against him," Wael Jawharji told a press conference in Jeddah on Monday.

He said he expected to receive a reply to his request to drop the charges from the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution within two weeks.

The brother of the suspect claimed at the press conference that one of the investigators asked him to sign a report stating that his brother was psychologically sick or under a magical spell to secure his release.

"I would never have defended the accused if I was not sure of his innocence," the lawyer said, and expressed hope his client would soon be acquitted.

Jawharji blamed the media for defaming his client and his family but ruled out any legal action.

"However, we are ready to take the media to court if they continue to defame my client," he said, asking the media to use the term “detained” instead of “suspect” or “accused” to refer to the teacher.

The lawyer said he was holding the press conference to influence public opinion in favor of the suspect following substantial negative coverage about him.

He said the police broke a number of laws, such as preventing his client from appointing a lawyer until he had been detained for a month. "I was not allowed to visit my client though I have official authorization from the family. I was excluded from some questioning sessions with my client," he said.

The lawyer said the prison’s director justified these actions by claiming the issue was sensitive. "This was not a convincing enough explanation for me," he said.

Jawharji said his client was still under investigation and that no official charges were made against him. He, however, explained that the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution has the right to detain a suspect for six months without charge.

The brother of the accused said there was substantial evidence proving his innocence. "The alleged victims did not recognize him. Some of them who identified him as their attacker also said the same thing about the other suspect who was released. The DNA did not match with that of my brother," he said.