Manama: A new trial of four suspected Al Qaida terrorists accused of plotting to assassinate the late King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud was opened by the Special Criminal Court in the Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.
The charges against them include links with elements from the Al Qaida terror group based in Iran, reports said.
The first suspect, facing 42 charges, is accused of embracing an extremist ideology that supports Al Qaida and the terrorist acts carried out in Saudi Arabia. He is also charged with rejecting the Saudi Arabian authorities and following leaders from Al Qaida, providing moral and material support.
The suspect travelled to Lebanon where he observed paramilitary training camps and helped coordinate the travel of Saudi Arabian recruits there to receive training on the use of weapons and returned to Saudi Arabia to carry out acts of terrorism, Saudi daily Okaz reported on Tuesday.
He was also charged with working on persuading people to join terrorists in Afghanistan and on obtaining funds for extremists.
He obtained and distributed DVDs that promoted the deviant mentality against mainstream Islam and called for “joining the combat”. He placed the DVDs on shields of cars parked near mosques.
He used social media platforms to communicate with other suspected terrorists.
The second suspect had 28 charges levelled against him, including plotting with the first terrorist to assassinate King Abdullah during his visit to Al Qaseem region.
The pair reportedly agreed that the assassination attempt could be only through a suicide attack.
He was also charged with working on sending young Saudi men to training camps in Sudan, harbouring a wanted fugitive, providing information on security checkpoints, and promoting the Al Qaida terror group.
The suspect was also involved in obtaining and sending 20,000 Saudi Riyals to a terrorist based in Iran to use as financial support for the group members.
The third suspect was accused of having links and contacts with two wanted members of Al Qaida terror group who wanted him to accompany them to conflict zones in Afghanistan.
He was also charged with embracing an extremist ideology and making preparations to travel to Afghanistan.
The fourth was accused of embracing an extremist ideology and criticising Muslims working for the state. He questioned his parents’ and siblings’ faith, accusing them of heresy.
According to the case documents, he had links with a wanted terrorist who deeply impacted his thinking and induced him to support suicide attacks.
He harboured two suspected terrorists for two days in his house in the Eastern Province before their departure to Iran, the daily added.
He was also accused of providing funds to terrorists.
