Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – A special court in Riyadh on Wednesday sentenced 23 people convicted of various terrorism charges to prison terms ranging from 11 months to 20 years, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The men were part of a bigger group of 36 militants standing trial for embracing a deviant ideology, money laundering, illegal possession of weapons and a host of other charges. The court also slapped a travel ban on all Saudi convicts after their release from prison. The first defendant, a Yemeni national, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for money laundering. The money found in his possession has been confiscated. He will be deported from the country after his release from prison. The defendants were accused of joining a terrorist cell and inciting young men to adopt the Takfiri ideology of branding Muslims who do not agree with their views as infidels. They were also charged with traveling to regions of turmoil to join the fighting, financing terrorist operations, providing shelter to people wanted by security authorities, helping militants to leave for conflict zones and attempting to form groups to monitor the movement of expatriates and kill them. The court gave the defendants 30 days to appeal the verdict.
