Bahrain Mirror: A Saudi Specialized Criminal Court handed down a death penalty to defendant number 14 in the case of the 85 terrorist cell known as "Turki Al-Dandani" cell, the Saudi Okaz newspaper reported on Wednesday (May 20, 2015).

The court raised several charges against the defendant, among them was allowing a number of wanted suspects into Saudi Arabia illegally and hiding them from the authorities, recruiting a King Fahd Causeway Customs employee to work for the organization and convincing him to let some of the wanted suspects enter the KSA illegally, also encouraging him to commit treason.

The Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal made its remarks, regarding the preliminary verdict issued by the Specialized Criminal Court that sentenced him to 35 years in prison starting from the day of his arrest, fined him 10,000 SAR (about 1,000 BD) and banned him from traveling for 35 years as well. The Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal stated that the crimes the defendant was convicted of deserve a strict corporal (Tazir) punishment that puts an end to his evil deeds.

The charges that were proved against defendant number 14 involved in the 85 terrorist cell were: engaging in armed confrontation with security officers, threatening to detonate a grenade when asked to surrender during a raid on him and his friends in an apartment in Riyadh, traveling to Afghanistan without permission, training in Al-Qaeda camps, joining the organization, pledging allegiance to Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, working as Bin Laden's bodyguard in Qandahar, funding terrorism and terrorist operations by fundraising and sending money to the families of the militants abroad, allowing a number of wanted suspects into the KSA illegally and hiding them from authorities, recruiting a King Fahd Causeway Customs employee to work for the organization by convincing him to let some of the wanted suspects enter Saudi Arabia illegally, thus, encouraging him to commit treason, transferring arms, trafficking of arms (selling 14 Kalashnikov rifles, 22 handguns), offering a Kalashnikov machine gun and handgun as gifts, besides other charges.

After the one presiding over the hearing announced the verdict, the attorney-general decided not to object. However, the defendant decided to object by a statement of objection. Thus, he was handed over a copy of the verdict and given instructions about the appellate procedure and told to present his objection within 30 days.

The Arabic Issue