The country's Special Criminal Court has sentenced three terrorists to death for various offenses, including shooting security officers and planning suicide attacks and assassinations in the Kingdom.

These are preliminary rulings against the three, tagged by authorities as members of one of the most dangerous terrorist cells in Saudi Arabia.

Prosecutors have told the court that the group was planning to carry out suicide attacks in the Kingdom, intended to target a prison, and wanted to assassinate a senior statesman.

Members of the group had previously clashed with security officers inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah, leading to the death of several of the most dangerous leaders. The 22 accused, known as the “Khalidiya Apartment Cell,” attended the court hearing before three judges.

The judges unanimously decided to sentence the Saudi, Chadian and Egyptian to death. The court sentenced the other defendants to prison terms of between nine and 33 years, fines and travel bans. They included a Nigerian, a Yemeni and a Palestinian, and several Saudis.

The accused were charged with opening fire at a Khalidiya district apartment block in the holy city of Makkah.The defendants sentenced to death were found guilty of violating the pledge of allegiance, supporting terrorist Ahmed Al-Dakhil, and possession of weapons and explosives.

The convicted defendants included a security officer, who was accused of betraying the Kingdom by meeting with members of the terror group at an apartment to plan their operations.