Members of cell of 86 face several terror charges

Ahmad Abdullah
Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Special Penal Court Monday looked into the charges against four defendants accused of joining the terrorist cell of 86.

The court started looking into the charges against the cell of 86 on May 1 this year.

The cell comprises 84 Saudi nationals, one Jordanian and one Somali.

The most prominent charges read out by the Prosecutor General were the possession of five bombs and a pistol, communication with the killed terrorist Sa’eed Al-Ghamdi, possession of a computer containing inciting materials and terror funding.

A defendant was charged with planning terrorist operations, providing shelter to the killed terrorist Sa’eed Al-Ghamdi, traveling to Syria with the aim of participating in the fighting in Iraq, providing shelter to a person who traveled to Iraq and supporting Al-Qaeda financially.

Charges of communicating with the most dangerous terrorists including the killed militant Abdulmajeed Al-Manee’ and using his car to serve Al-Qaeda were leveled against the third defendant.

The fourth defendant was accused of communicating with Al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

One of the defendants requested that the media be barred from attending the upcoming court sessions of his trial. Three defendants requested for copies of the charges and said they would hire a lawyer. One defendant said that he would defend himself before the court.

The Cell of 86 is facing charges of embracing Takfiri ideology, joining a cell belonging to Al-Qaeda, planning to carry out terrorist acts in the Kingdom, inciting sedition, sabotage and chaos, plotting to storm Apicorp complex, Petroleum Center Company and Al-Waha (Oasis) housing compound in Al-Khobar among others.