Tuesday, 28 June 2011
A Saudi officer looks at the wreckage of the devastated Al-Hamra expatriate housing compound in Riyadh in 2003. (AFP photo)
Eighty-five Al Qaeda suspects went on trial in a special Saudi Arabian security court in connection with deadly attacks carried out in the kingdom, state news agency SPA said.
The accused are charged with being members of Al Qaeda and taking part in attacks on public buildings and residential compounds, and of smuggling and possession of weapons, it said.
The accused are charged with being members of Al Qaeda and taking part in attacks on public buildings and residential compounds, and of smuggling and possession of weapons, it said.
Thirteen of the 85 suspects are accused of participating in the May 2003 car bombings of three residential compounds that left 129 people dead or wounded, including women and children, SPA said.
Nine US nationals were among 35 of those killed.
Others were charged with attacking security forces, weapons possession, bomb making and armed robbery.
SPA said the arrests of the 85 suspects had foiled plots to attack two air bases, a residential compound in the Eastern Province of the Gulf state and on state oil giant Aramco.
In April, a judicial source said a total of 5,080 terrorist suspects either faced trial or had already been tried before the special court, which has come in for criticism from lawyers.
SPA did not say when the men were arrested or why they are facing trial now, eight years after the attacks.
It said security forces had confiscated videos documenting some of the defendants’ operations.
(Dina Al-Shibeeb, a senior editor at Al Arabiya English, can be reached at dina.ibrahim@mbc.net)
Nine US nationals were among 35 of those killed.
Others were charged with attacking security forces, weapons possession, bomb making and armed robbery.
SPA said the arrests of the 85 suspects had foiled plots to attack two air bases, a residential compound in the Eastern Province of the Gulf state and on state oil giant Aramco.
In April, a judicial source said a total of 5,080 terrorist suspects either faced trial or had already been tried before the special court, which has come in for criticism from lawyers.
SPA did not say when the men were arrested or why they are facing trial now, eight years after the attacks.
It said security forces had confiscated videos documenting some of the defendants’ operations.
(Dina Al-Shibeeb, a senior editor at Al Arabiya English, can be reached at dina.ibrahim@mbc.net)
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