“The text of my confession of plotting to attack US forces arrived to me in a fax message and I was ordered to write it in the confession statement with my signature,” the defendant said.

When asked by the judge why did he sign a fabricated confession statement before a judge, the defendant said he was scared of undergoing a second interrogation.

However, he said the other item in his confession statement that he traveled to Iran to participate in Afghan war was true.

The defendant made the statement during the trial hearing of the suspects in the Al-Khafji terror cell at a special court in Riyadh yesterday.

The judge handed the 10 suspects who were present at the hearing the files containing their original statements. Defendant No. 4 was absent.

While some of the defendants denied their confession statements about their involvement in terror activities, others affirmed their statements.

A defendant said some of his confession statement was misinterpreted to prove his complicity in the crimes.

Reacting to the judge’s query on many defendants’ denial of the charges against them, the public prosecutor told the court that the original confessions should be considered valid and the defendants who change their original statements should be confronted with evidences.

The defendant No. 8 requested the judge to change his lawyer for lack of promptness in attending the court hearing. He also denied his earlier confessions.

While the defendant No. 10 said his confessions are true and he signed the statement voluntarily, the 11th defendant said all charges against him were fabricated.

Three judges attended the hearing. Media persons, a representative of the Saudi Human Rights Commission and a relative of a suspect were also present in the courtroom.

All the 11 defendants are charged with planning to attack vital installations of Saudi Aramco, recruitment for terror activities, terror funding, going to violence-hit regions and issuing religious edicts against Saudi rulers.

The 11 are also accused of possessing weapons and going abroad to get military training.