Saudi Arabia convicts 31 for terror-related crimes, including attacks against U.S. forces

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Saudi Arabia convicted 27 defendants this week and sentenced them to between six months to 30 years in prison for terrorist-relating crimes, including plotting attacks against U.S. forces in Kuwait and Qatar. The defendants belong to a 41-member terrorist cell and the trials are taking place in Riyadh.

Yesterday, a specialized court convicted 14 defendants belonging to the terrorist cell. They were convicted of ‎membership in a terrorist organization, including participating in actions that lead to murders; attempted murder of prominent religious scholars, security officers and prominent people; traveling or planning to ‎travel abroad to joint terrorist-led war; terror financing; weapons offenses; rendering assistance to wanted terrorists; and, forming a terror cell in Qatar with the objective of carrying out terror attacks in Kuwait and Qatar, including attacking U.S. forces in Kuwait and Qatar. On Tuesday, the court convicted 13 people also belonging to the terrorist cell of similar charges.

Four female defendants were also convicted yesterday of terrorism-related crimes and ‎sentenced to between six to 10 years in prison. The defendants were convicted of ‎joining a terrorist organization, encouraging their sons to travel abroad to join a terrorist-led war, and rendering assistance to wanted terrorists.

Saudi Arabia is committed to stopping terrorism in all its forms. In February, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz issued a royal decree on counterterrorism. The decree reinforced that acts of terrorism, including membership in terrorist organizations, and ‎participation in hostilities outside the Kingdom, will not be tolerated.

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SOURCE Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia