Riyadh court sentences man to death for terrorism

A man in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh for being part of a terrorist cell in the conflict-hit town of Al-Awamiyah, local daily Arab News reported.

No further details about the defendant were revealed.

The terrorist cell the man allegedly belonged to was accused of attacking three security posts and firing at security forces and their vehicles.

The attacks targeted the Al-Awamiyah police station, a checkpoint in the city of Safwa, and one in Al-Nasrah neighborhood, the report said.

The defendant was also found guilty of firing at two civilian cars in Al-Awamiyah, mistaking them for police cars, it added.

Saudi authorities have been conducting a campaign against gunmen in the Eastern province after years of attacks on police forces.

In January, state security forces shot dead a wanted terrorist, Abdullah bin Mirza Ali Al-Qalaf, who was allegedly involved in the November killing of security forces member Abdullah Al-Qahtani.

The Saudi national was spotted near a farm between the towns of Awamiyah and Qudayh.

Read more: Saudi forces shoot dead wanted terrorist

In September, the government said demolition of the 200-year-old Al-Musawara district in the town of Al-Awamiyah was completed.

The operation to tear down the district, which has been at the centre of protests by the kingdom’s Shia minority, began in May.

Read: Saudi authorities complete clean-up of Al-Musawara