14 jailed over terrorism charges in Saudi Arabia

A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced 14 people to varying jail terms for planning terror attacks in the country, media reported.

The suspects, who are a part of a 29-member terror cell, were jailed for terms between four and 23 years and have been banned from travelling abroad for similar periods by the Special Criminal Court here, Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday.

The group, comprising 13 Saudi nationals and a Yemeni, was convicted of planning a suicide attack in a foreign country upon the directives of its leader.

They adopted Takfiri ideology that violates the Holy Quran and the Prophet's Sunnah, the court said.

They were also charged with publishing materials and bulletins supporting Takfiri ideology.

The court rulings follow a massive crackdown by authorities in Saudi Arabia where hundreds of terrorists have been sentenced to jail for having links with the Al Qaeda and its affiliated organisations.

In 2011, Saudi Arabia began a series of prosecutions for alleged offences committed during the peak of Al Qaeda violence in the country between 2003 and 2006.