Saudi sentenced to 10 years in jail for rioting, destabilizing security in Qatif

JEDDAH: The Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh issued a preliminary ruling on Wednesday convicting a Saudi defendant of destabilizing security and participating in a number of riots in Qatif.

The defendant was sentenced for contributing to the organization of these riots and inciting participation via social media, as well as posting photos of a riot on the Internet.

The defendant was sentenced for communicating with members of a terrorist movement and several wanted criminals.

He was also sentenced for initiating a terrorist plot using a wireless drone filled with explosives to target a car park between two government building, with the aim of blowing the, up and killing the largest possible number of security men.

He was also sentenced for participating with others in blocking traffic on public roads; withholding information on the location of wanted criminals in Qatif terrorism cases; and meeting with some of these individuals.

The court sentenced the defendant to 10 years in jail starting from the date of his arrest; ordered the shutdown of all his social media pages used in his crimes; ruled for the confiscation of the wireless drone from the defendant; and sentenced him to a travel ban for another 10 years after completion of his jail term.