JEDDAH: A special criminal court in Riyadh started yesterday the trial of 16 terror suspects — known as Southern Cell — for their involvement in a number of terrorist acts. The defendants included the leader of the cell who is allegedly involved in a number of major terror acts.
The man who was among 26 terrorists, whose list was released by the Interior Ministry in 2004, was arrested while trying to escape to Yemen. Members of the terror cell were accused of planning to assassinate a prominent Saudi leader from southern region of the Kingdom.
At the beginning of the court sitting, the prosecutor general read the charges against 13 out of the 16 defendants. Charges against them included joining Al-Qaeda, attempting to assassinate a senior government official from the southern region, killing security forces members, giving shelter and transportation to the terror cell leader, traveling to Iran through Syria on their way to take part in the war in Afghanistan and possessing weapons illegally.
A number of defendants have been charged with helping the terror leader in fleeing to Yemen.
According to the charges, one of the defendants confessed that he had witnessed their leader moving through Riyadh, wearing a foreigner’s dress. Another defendant helped a man in smuggling weapons and selling them to Al-Qaeda while another defendant supplied a mobile phone to the terror cell chief with content that could be used harmfully. One of the defendants hid their leader for a week in a desert tent that belonged to his father.
Another defendant is accused of meeting some terrorists in Iran and taking part in giving shelter to terrorists in addition to extending support to those who went to fight in the Iraq war. The prosecutor general said that one defendant established a commercial project in the southern region with the purpose of fundraising for Al-Qaeda. He also helped the cell’s leader in traveling from Mandaq in Baha province to Ballasmar in Asir province. Charges against another defendant include supplying the cell’s chief with an abaya that was used to disguise him in order to mislead security officials and lying to them about the man's identity, saying the person wearing the abaya is his wife.
The defendants are also accused of setting fire to a famous restaurant in Al-Kharj with the ulterior motive of creating a wrong impression that it is the handiwork of foreigners.
Three judges attended yesterday’s trial proceedings in which media reporters, representative of the Human Rights Commission and relatives of some defendants were also present.
Trial of Southern Cell opens
