Published: Jun 13, 2011 02:14 Updated: Jun 13, 2011 02:15
RIYADH: Five men denied Sunday their involvement in a 2004 terrorist attack in Yanbu that killed seven and injured 50 others.They also demanded compensation for alleged torture and mistreatment they suffered inside prison during investigations. In total 11 men have been accused.
It was the third hearing for the defendants. On Saturday, a three-bench court heard the statements of six accused. Arab News was the only English-language newspaper that attended the trial, in addition to other members of the local press and Human Rights Commission officials.
Defendant No. 6, who was the first to enter the courthouse at 9.30 a.m. Sunday, said when the attack took place in Yanbu he was just 19 and not in a position to refuse what his elder brothers had asked him to do. He denounced terrorist operations against Saudi security forces and oil installations.
He said he had not played any role in the attack. “Of course I had seen the attack like other people. I had not received any will from the attack’s perpetrators. One of them had asked me to take his wife to her mother’s house,” he said.
He said he had considered the attackers normal people and never thought they were a threat to the nation and its people. He said he never thought that the four men who actually carried out the atrocity had any plan to do so. He acknowledged that he had taken two black bags from one of his co-defendants and handed them over to one of the attackers, but he did not know what was inside.
Defendant No. 7 denied charges that he had adopted the ideology of Al-Qaeda. “I never joined those destroyers,” he told the court.
“I don’t have any suspicious connection with the attackers. My only connection with them is family relation. I stayed in the house of one of the attackers just to complete my secondary school studies. During this time the mastermind of the operation (Mustafa Al-Ansari) visited that house. If I had known what was going on in the minds of those destroyers I would have informed police about them immediately,” he said.
He said he had no suspicion about Al-Ansari, thinking that the man came from abroad to reform. However, he admitted that he lacked courage to tell on Al-Ansari as he was extremely young at the time.
He denied charges that he had received training from the attackers on how to use weapons. However, he had seen the attackers practice shooting, using mobile phones as their targets.
Defendant No. 8 also denied charges that he had described the attackers as martyrs. He said he did not know his elder brother, who was one of the accused, had any connection with terrorism and terrorists, adding that his main interest was fishing and hunting.
He also denied allegations that he possessed weapons to carry out atrocities. “I have not participated in any terror cell nor did I cover for any of the four attackers.”
Defendant No. 9 denied that he had hidden some of the weapons for the attack. “I don’t have any link with the Yanbu terror cell. I don’t know any of the attackers and I don’t believe in their ideology.”
He said he came to know the Defendant No. 1 through fishing and had never observed any terrorist leanings in his behavior and activities. He denied charges that he had possessed weapons. “I had kept two guns underground and gave them to police later,” he said.
He also denied supporting Al-Qaeda. “I don’t know what Al-Qaeda is because I don’t read any newspaper or the Internet or any other media. I am only interested in fishing.”
He admitted that he had buried a box given to him by Defendant No. 1 without knowing what was inside it. The public prosecutor accused the defendant of calling the prison authorities infidels, but the man denied it.
The last defendant, No. 11, entered the court at 12 noon. He denied charges he followed the takfiri (branding opponents as infidels) and Kharijite (who seceded from mainstream Islam) ideologies. “I am not among those who brand Muslims as infidels,” he said and reiterated his allegiance to Saudi rulers. He said he had no knowledge about the Yanbu attack and denied that he had hidden Al-Ansari.
It was the third hearing for the defendants. On Saturday, a three-bench court heard the statements of six accused. Arab News was the only English-language newspaper that attended the trial, in addition to other members of the local press and Human Rights Commission officials.
Defendant No. 6, who was the first to enter the courthouse at 9.30 a.m. Sunday, said when the attack took place in Yanbu he was just 19 and not in a position to refuse what his elder brothers had asked him to do. He denounced terrorist operations against Saudi security forces and oil installations.
He said he had not played any role in the attack. “Of course I had seen the attack like other people. I had not received any will from the attack’s perpetrators. One of them had asked me to take his wife to her mother’s house,” he said.
He said he had considered the attackers normal people and never thought they were a threat to the nation and its people. He said he never thought that the four men who actually carried out the atrocity had any plan to do so. He acknowledged that he had taken two black bags from one of his co-defendants and handed them over to one of the attackers, but he did not know what was inside.
Defendant No. 7 denied charges that he had adopted the ideology of Al-Qaeda. “I never joined those destroyers,” he told the court.
“I don’t have any suspicious connection with the attackers. My only connection with them is family relation. I stayed in the house of one of the attackers just to complete my secondary school studies. During this time the mastermind of the operation (Mustafa Al-Ansari) visited that house. If I had known what was going on in the minds of those destroyers I would have informed police about them immediately,” he said.
He said he had no suspicion about Al-Ansari, thinking that the man came from abroad to reform. However, he admitted that he lacked courage to tell on Al-Ansari as he was extremely young at the time.
He denied charges that he had received training from the attackers on how to use weapons. However, he had seen the attackers practice shooting, using mobile phones as their targets.
Defendant No. 8 also denied charges that he had described the attackers as martyrs. He said he did not know his elder brother, who was one of the accused, had any connection with terrorism and terrorists, adding that his main interest was fishing and hunting.
He also denied allegations that he possessed weapons to carry out atrocities. “I have not participated in any terror cell nor did I cover for any of the four attackers.”
Defendant No. 9 denied that he had hidden some of the weapons for the attack. “I don’t have any link with the Yanbu terror cell. I don’t know any of the attackers and I don’t believe in their ideology.”
He said he came to know the Defendant No. 1 through fishing and had never observed any terrorist leanings in his behavior and activities. He denied charges that he had possessed weapons. “I had kept two guns underground and gave them to police later,” he said.
He also denied supporting Al-Qaeda. “I don’t know what Al-Qaeda is because I don’t read any newspaper or the Internet or any other media. I am only interested in fishing.”
He admitted that he had buried a box given to him by Defendant No. 1 without knowing what was inside it. The public prosecutor accused the defendant of calling the prison authorities infidels, but the man denied it.
The last defendant, No. 11, entered the court at 12 noon. He denied charges he followed the takfiri (branding opponents as infidels) and Kharijite (who seceded from mainstream Islam) ideologies. “I am not among those who brand Muslims as infidels,” he said and reiterated his allegiance to Saudi rulers. He said he had no knowledge about the Yanbu attack and denied that he had hidden Al-Ansari.
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