Defendant No. 8 Wajdi, who appeared in court Saturday, denied charges that he had given shelter to Mustafa Al-Ansari, the leader of the terrorist cell that carried out the terror attack. He told the court that he did not have information that Al-Ansari had connections with any terrorist outfit. He also denied possessing any leaflets in violation of the Kingdom’s security regulations.
Defendant No. 10’s lawyer pleaded his client’s innocence. “My client Fuad served as a member of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) in Jeddah. As a mosque imam and preacher, he was instrumental in guiding one terrorist to eschew the Takfeeri (labeling others as infidels) ideology and eventually surrendering to the security authorities,” he said.
Regarding the prosecution’s allegations that Fuad used to browse prohibited websites of Takfeeri ideology that call for carrying out terror attacks inside the Kingdom and abroad, the lawyer said such acts cannot be considered a crime. “As a mosque imam and preacher, he viewed these sites so he could alert worshippers against such ideologies,” he argued.
Fuad appealed to the court to release him on bail, saying his relation to Al-Ansari (his paternal uncle) was only that of kinship, while Muhammad, Defendant No. 9, denied holding two passports.
Earlier Saturday, the chief judge directed the public prosecutor to submit a report about the alleged attempts by some defendants to trigger riots inside their prison. Two other defendants urged the court to release them on bail until completion of the trial proceedings while another defendant demanded compensation for him and release of his vehicle that was seized two years ago.
One defendant, the brother of Al-Ansari, told the court that Al-Ansari returned from Yemen while he was 18 and took part in the attack after one year. Another defendant who was accused of several charges such as giving shelter to the head of the Yanbu terror cell told the court that he was disabled in 80 percent of his body. He urged the court to order compensation for seizing his vehicle two years ago.
The judge asked the public prosecutor to submit a report about his alleged attempts to create a revolt inside the prison. The 65-year-old defendant told the court that he did not know whether Al-Ansari, also his brother, was a wanted militant or not.
Another defendant said he and his wife were suffering from psychological problems due to his arrest and detention following the terrorist attack. He demanded compensation for the confiscation of his vehicle as well as to cover his rent for the apartment where his family has been living since his detention. The judge promised to examine his case and make available a consultation with a psychiatrist for him.
A representative of the US Embassy, relatives of the victims, reporters and representatives of the Human Rights commission were present during the trial. The Riyadh court started the trial for the Yanbu terror attacks on May 16.
