* The judge asked each defendant if he wanted to appoint a lawyer, asserting they had this right.
* The judge asked every defendant to sign the pages on which he wrote his answers to ensure that what was written was not amended in any way. He wanted the defendants to be aware that their statements would be added to other documents pertaining to the case.
* One of the defendants asked to appoint his brother to defend him and the judge agreed, telling him this was his right.
* The court heard the replies of five defendants. On the first day on Saturday, the court heard six defendants.
* The judge enabled all the accused to freely defend themselves against the charges filed against them by the Prosecution and Investigation Commission (PIC). He was personally taking down what they said in their defense. He also asked them if they wanted to add anything to their written replies.
* Arab News attended the court session beside other representatives of the local media, the attorney general and members of the Human Rights Commission.
* The defendants entered the court one by one. Each one of them would leave after finishing his statement before the next defendant took the stand.
* The attorney general told the court that the list of charges compiled by the PIC was sufficient to convict them all.
* All 11 defendants were Saudis. They included five university graduates, five with secondary school certificates and one a graduate of a technical institute.
* The court provided a golf car to transport the defendants quickly to and from the court.
* All the accused were unanimous in their allegiance to the king, which they said was a Shariah obligation and stated they would never violate it.
* They all denied they were followers of Al-Qaeda ideology and they condemned the criminal killings in Yanbu.
* They also denied that they concealed or took part in the operation masterminded by Mustafa Al-Ansari. They also denied knowledge that Al-Ansari belonged to a terrorist organization.
* Most of the accused tried to win the sympathy of the court through tears and by speaking about the poverty of their families.
* Some of them contradicted their affidavits. They would deny any knowledge of Al-Ansari, then say they tried to advise him. Some said their confessions were coerced.
