The District Court has resumed the trial against 16 men charged with forming an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist cell. The session was held to give the men a chance to respond to charges made against them on Sept. 12, 2011. The Prosecutor General says the 14 Saudis, one Pakistani and one Afghani plotted terrorist operations against a senior government official and naval and army weapons depots. The men are also charged with planning assassinations, funding and working with foreign terrorists, making grenades, smuggling weapons and recruiting Saudi youths to join Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom, Iraq and Afganistan. The court session began with the accused demanding that the court provide them with a defense lawyer. After the court granted the defendants a lawyer, they asked the court to give them some time to finally respond to the charges. The district court judge granted the request and adjourned the session. The trial is being attended by human rights activists. The men are accused of supporting Al-Qaeda and propagating the ideology of Takfir, which is to unjustly denounce other Muslims as infidels. They are also accused of abusing the concept of Jihad by misinterpreting it and raising funds in order to finance terrorist operations. In similar ongoing cases, several men accused of planning and carrying out terrorist operations have stood on trial. While some have pleaded guilty, others have denied all charges.
