A special criminal court in Jeddah has sentenced individuals charged with terrorist acts, who were already serving prison terms, to combined jail terms of more than 17 years.

The list of charges included destroying some of the prison properties such as TV, air conditioners. The suspects were also accused of inciting riots in the prison and encouraging detainees to start rioting and acts of vandalism and destroying surveillance cameras to hide their actions.

One of the defendants was acquitted after the court found that the charges contradicted with the testimony of witnesses and for insufficient evidence. The third defendant, however, was reprimanded and imprisoned for six months from the date of completion of his previous sentence.

The court rejected the public prosecutor’s demand to convict him with the charges against other detainees.

Meanwhile, the fourth defendant was accused of taking part in breaking prison properties and participating with the rest of the prisoners in damaging public property inside and outside the prison and obstructing entry and exit to the ward by locking the entrance with ropes made from clothing, blankets and metal pieces.

The court also convicted the fifth defendant with inciting his cellmates to stage a sit-in, resist prison officials and threatening to cut his own throat in a bid to pressure the police to submit to his demands.

He was imprisoned for two years starting from the date of completion of his last sentence. 

The sixth defendant was imprisoned for one year and three months after he was found guilty of leaving his room and staging a sit-in outside. He was also convicted of inciting prisoners in other rooms to protest by banging on the doors to their cells and calling them to join the rioting. 

The seventh defendant was imprisoned for two years and two months after being convicted of initiating chaos and joining other prisoners in the sit-in in the third ward and taking part in damaging pubic property inside and outside the room.