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Al Qaeda suspects refute charges; case adjourned

The Federal Supreme Court on Monday heard the arguments of the defence lawyers of the nine Arabs on trial for forming a cell of the terror organisation Al Qaeda in the UAE. The case has been adjourned to June 16, when the three other defence lawyers will present their arguments.

Khalid Majid Fakhru, the lawyer of one of the suspects, requested the court to summon a psychiatrist, who works at the State Security Agency, after his client complained of hallucinations after he took a medicine prescribed by the psychiatrist.

Defending himself, the psychiatrist said he had prescribed a medicine which is usually prescribed around the world to treat depression. He deposed that the suspect is suffering from severe depression and needs to undergo treatment for at least six months.

Defence lawyer Mohammed Al Khazraji said in his plea that the State Security Agency has no evidence against his client, identified as A.D., a Lebanese. The first prosecution witness, he said, “is a supervisor”, and was not “seriously” involved in the investigations. He said there is no “material evidence” and that the agency has not disclosed any “concrete evidence” so far.

Evidence presented by the prosecution witnesses in a previous session included images, videos, audio clips and documents, which reportedly contains information relating to jihad and ways to make arms. The prosecution had also stated that the suspects sent funds to fight the Syrian government troops.

“Case papers did not have audio clips, pictures or video recordings as stated by the prosecution witnesses,” Khazraji said. “There are no papers either proving that the group sent funds to Syria.”

He argued that the money exchange agencies do not transfer money to Syria. “How did they send these funds then?”

Khazraji said his client was held in custody for six days without being interrogated. “My client was arrested on April 28, 2013, and was interrogated on May 5, 2014.”

The three lawyers called on the court to nullify the arrest, claiming that there is no concrete evidence against them.

Defence lawyer Jassim Al Naqabi said his two clients were arrested on basis of information “which might or might not be correct”.

To the prosecution’s charge that the suspects recruited members for the Al Nusra Front (an organisation accused of fighting the Syrian government), lawyer Hamdan Al Zaioudi said: “The (prosecution) witnesses neither proved (this charge) nor mentioned the names of the persons my clients had lured, recruited and sent for Jihad in Syria.”

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com