During the third session of his trial, Defendant No. 1 described Osama Bin Laden as a martyr and wished current Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahri success. He said he did not want anybody to defend him against the charges.

He wanted the court to implement the death sentence against him as quickly as possible. “I hope the executioner will be waiting for me with his sword at the court gate,” he told the court.

The Dandani cell is accused of carrying out terrorist attacks against three residential compounds in Riyadh on May 13, 2003, which resulted in the killing and injuring of 239 people including women and children as well as security officers. They also plotted to attack military bases and oil and industrial installations.

The judges as well as the lawyer appointed by the Justice Ministry tried to convince the defendant to change his decision but their efforts were in vain. The man said he considered his situation as similar to the trials and tribulations suffered by prophets and early Muslims in the past.

The chief justice of the court advised the militant to defend himself against the charges as instructed by Shariah. He also said that the Justice Ministry appointed the lawyer to defend him against the charges, but the defendant refused to accept the lawyer. “I don’t need any lawyer at all,” he said.

The lawyer told the court that he was ready to defend the man without any remuneration from the ministry or the defendant’s family. “If he does not like me personally, the National Committee of Lawyers is ready to defend him free of charge. We have more than 2,500 lawyers licensed by the ministry and the defendant will have the right to select any one of them.”

When the defendant refused to accept the offer, the lawyer asked the court to hand him over to a counseling team. The judge asked the militant about his educational qualifications but he refused to reply. “I admit all the charges leveled against me and I am waiting for the final verdict against me,” he said.

The defendant is accused of joining Al-Qaeda and a terrorist cell in the Kingdom that aimed to undermine the Kingdom’s security and stability. The cell had carried out a number of terrorist operations killing innocent people. They also plotted to kidnap and assassinate security officers.

Another major charge against the militant is that he followed the Takfiri (branding opponents as infidels) ideology and gave religious verdicts against the Kingdom’s rulers.

He had also allegedly gone to Afghanistan to get military training and take part in fighting. He had allegedly agreed with the Al-Qaeda leader to target Saudi Aramco and housing compounds of foreign nationals inside the Kingdom. He had also allegedly looked for places where foreign nationals lived. He tried to purchase hand grenades for Al-Qaeda to attack others. He also financed terrorist operations by collecting zakat and donations. Moreover, he allowed the cell members to use his forged ID for their movement inside the Kingdom, it was alleged.