RIYADH — The Special Penal Court on Wednesday awarded death sentence to a top Al-Qaeda ideologue in the Kingdom. Fifteen others were given various prison terms between one year and 20 years and were barred from traveling abroad for equal periods. The ideologue, who was not named in the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report, was arrested from a resort in Abha. Bombs and a submachine gun were found in his possession. According to the charges leveled against him, the ideologue considered it permissible to kill security men and considered the state as that of infidels. Other charges against him included praising terror operations in Al-Olayya, Al-Khobar and in eastern Riyadh and describing them as a holy war. He also wrote several publications on Takfiri theories, carrying out blasts, sabotage and evil deeds in the Kingdom. During court sessions, the ideologue not only supported terror activities but pledged to carry them out upon his release from jail. Wednesday's court session was open to the journalists. The defendant opposed the verdict while the prosecution sounded satisfied. The same court issued verdicts against 15 defendants who were found guilty of participating in a cell led by the condemned Al-Qaeda ideologue. Charges against them include incitement against the ruler and disobeying him by traveling to regions of turmoil to participate in fighting there. Some of them agreed to participate in terrorist acts against peaceful expatriates living in the Kingdom, to target intelligence officers and possess unlicensed weapons. They were also charged with participating in terror funding, forging identification documents and providing cover-up to some wanted persons and transporting and hiding them.
