Trial of Al-Qaeda Operatives: Three Saudis Sentenced to ten Years

Three Saudi nationals, members of a dormant cell of Al Qaeda, were sentenced on Friday to ten years in jail each by the Casablanca court of appeal.

Hilal Jaber Awade El Assiri, Zouhair Hilal Mohamed Tabiti and Abdellah Msafer El Ghamidi were found guilty of conspiracy and illegal stay. El Assiri was also found guilty of forgery and bribery.

The court also convicted Moroccan nationals Mohamed Nadiri to one year in prison and Mohamed Mafamane to one year in prison, including a two-month-suspended term, on grounds of participation to a conspiracy.

Hachemi Nadiri, Mohamed Nadiri's brother was acquitted. Policeman Abdellah Abed was sentenced to four months and fined for bribery, while the three Moroccan women sued in the same case got six months in jail each.

Naima Haroune was condemned for failure to report a crime, and forgery, Bahija Haidour was found guilty for a failure to report a crime and destruction of crime related proofs, a charge she shares with Houria Haidour.

The public prosecutor had requested maximum sentence provided for by the law against the defendants who were arrested last June and accused of preparing terrorist acts in Morocco and against Western ships crossing the Gibraltar Strait.