Accused called fighting in Iraq war an obligationRIYADH – The Specialist Penal Court resumed the case against a man charged with masterminding the Abqaiq terrorist operation. This was the third session in the case against the accused, who was accompanied by one of his brothers and eight of his sons. The proceedings began with the Prosecutor General's evidence being read out to the court. The man is accused of supporting Al-Qaeda and propagating the ideology of Takfir, which is to unjustly denounce other Muslims as infidels. The man is also accused of abusing the concept of Jihad by misinterpreting it and raising funds in order to finance terrorist operations. Central to the Prosecutor General's case against the man are the testimonies of six other men involved in the Abqaiq attack. The detainees claim the accused ordered them to go to Iraq and said that “the ruling for going to war in Iraq is an obligation”. One detainee said he visited the accused after the Abqaiq attack to inform him he would not be able to travel due to the events. The accused allegedly replied that “the martyr gets his reward even if he dies while sleeping on his bed.” However, the accused said the witnesses' testimonies were false and denied that he knew the men at all. The case has been adjourned in order to allow the Prosecutor General to present the seized evidence that is central to the case. The Specialist Penal Court also resumed hearings against 41 men accused of establishing a terrorist cell in the Kingdom. The men are alleged to have been preparing to carry out terrorist operations against American forces stationed in Qatar and Kuwait. The men are also accused of recruiting and financing terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, and of smuggling fighters, weapons and money across the border into Iraq. This is the sixth session against the 41 defendants who are made up of 38 Saudis, one Qatari, one Yemeni and one Afghani. In the session, the third, fourth and tenth defendants stood before the court in order to reply to the charges against them. The third defendant read his confessions attested by the court and agreed that they were all correct. However, regarding his knowledge of the other defendants he insisted he did not know that they were banned from travel until his last days before leaving for Kuwait. The fourth and tenth defendants' lawyer has declined to represent them and the men have requested time to find a replacement at the Ministry of Justice's expense. The session was attended by representatives of the Human Rights Commission (HRC). However, the judge barred the media from attending the proceedings following a request from the defendants.
