Saudi man gets death for 2004 terror attack

A Saudi national was sentenced to death after a criminal court found him guilty of being involved in a 2004 terror attack. The court also handed jail sentences to two others, media reported Friday.

The men were accused of forming a terrorist cell and attacking oil industry complexes in Saudi Arabia in 2004, killing seven people and injuring four employees of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company, Arab News reported.

The first defendant was accused of attacking Baqiq refinery by opening one of the gates to allow entry of two cars loaded with dynamite to blow up the refinery.

The accused admitted to the crimes and said he regretted not carrying out the explosions. He added he intended to carry out another suicide attack in Saudi Arabia.

The accused also left his military job because he thought it was wrong to work in that sector and joined Al-Qaeda to carry out terrorist attacks in the country.

The second defendant was imprisoned for 33 years and slapped with a travel ban for a similar period after the end of his sentence.

The third defendant was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his connection with Al-Qaeda and for inducting his brother-in-law to participate in the operation in Al-Baqiq.