Yemeni gets 19 years in prison for Al-Qaeda links

JEDDAH: The Specialized Criminal Court on Monday sentenced a Yemeni to 19 years in prison and ordered him deported from the Kingdom following his sentence.

The defendant was found guilty of adopting takfirist ideology and pledging allegiance to the former leader of Al-Qaeda. In his frequent travels to Afghanistan, he joined Al-Qaeda camps and trained young people on how to use weapons.

Also among the charges was not informing security authorities of his knowledge of someone from Al-Qaeda targeting oil facilities in Yanbu and oil pipelines in the Kingdom; distribution of Osama bin Laden’s speeches; copying discs containing methods for preparing explosives and placing toxins; knowing a person suspected of raising funds within the Kingdom for Al-Qaeda and his involvement in the investment of these funds; he was being willing to provide a computer for the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom, Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin; training a group of young people in Saudi Arabia on how to use weapons; trading in weapons for profit; and having knowledge of a group of people preparing a camp inside the Kingdom to train Saudi youths to join militants in Iraq.

The court sentenced him to 19 years in prison from the date of arrest, and ordered confiscation of the arms, ammunition, computer and radio communication devices in his possession.