Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Riyadh’s specialized terrorism court sentenced three Saudis to death on Monday, and handed down prison terms to 20 more on charges related to terrorism, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The 23 men were convicted of a variety of charges, including belonging to terrorist groups operating both within and outside the Kingdom, according to the SPA.
One of the condemned, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison, pled guilty to charges of declaring the Saudi state and security and religious authorities to be “takfirists,” meeting with members of terror groups operating inside the Kingdom, and using his position as a teacher to distribute pamphlets encouraging students to fight in Iraq.
He also admitted to having undergone terrorist training that included using firearms and listening to recordings by the former Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
Another, who was sentenced to death, pled guilty to killing a Saudi police officer during clashes with the security forces.
The session was attended by Ulama judges and representatives of the human rights commission.
The court gave the convicted 30 days to appeal against its decisions.
