[ADN Kronos] Saudi authorities have arrested five Al-Qaeda suspects in the city of Taif, located in the country's southwest near Islam's holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabian daily Okaz said. The arrests took place during a raid by Saudi security forces in an apartment in Taif, Saudi daily Okaz said on Friday.The incident took place a day after a Saudi court issued verdicts against 330 suspects of an Al-Qaeda cell, in the kingdom's first terrorism trials. The detainees were put on trial for belonging to a "deviant group", financing terrorism and threatening national security in attacks that took place in 2003 in the capital Riyadh (photo) and the coastal city of Jeddah, said the country's official news agency Saudi Press Agency. Saudi officials often use the term "deviant group" to refer to Al-Qaeda.
One militant was sentenced to death, while others face jail terms and house arrest. However, the defendants can still appeal. Many were also acquitted.
More than 1,500 suspects are due to go on trial in the kingdom and the media are expected to be allowed to cover the appeals, a court official told Dubai-based network Al-Arabiya on condition of anonymity.