RIYADH: The Special Criminal Court in Riyadh on Thursday found three Saudi nationals guilty of committing acts of terrorism and sentenced them to a combined total of nine years and 10 months in prison

The court said the defendants had joined extremist organizations in Yemen and Syria by using forged Yemeni identity cards to enter Syria. The court also barred them from traveling at the end of their detention periods.

The court verdicts have come in the wake of a recent crackdown on tens of terror suspects of various nationalities. The court said the verdicts were issued following the confirmation of the charges against the three nationals.

The court said the first defendant was in contact with a number of terrorist group coordinators and smugglers, who provided him with a forged Yemeni ID card bearing his photo.

Despite his awareness of the facts on the ground, he never informed Saudi authorities about the activities of the terrorist outfit. As a result, the court issued its ruling for four years in jail, from the date of detention, and will prevent him from traveling outside the country following his release.

The second defendant was also found guilty of traveling to Yemen by sneaking into Syria to take part in the ongoing operations there. He was also in contact with the group coordinator and smugglers who provided him with a Yemeni forged ID.

The court sentenced him to three years in prison.

The third convict received two years and 10 months from the date of his detention. He will not be allowed to leave the country for the same period from the date of his release. He had already violated his pledge before not to travel to Yemen illegally, in order to go to Syria to participate in the ongoing civil war there.