Saudi Gets Death for Role in al-Qaida Cell

A Saudi court on Wednesday sentenced one man to death and imprisoned several others for involvement in an al-Qaida cell that targeted foreigners, official media said.

The Saudi Press Agency said nine accused were jailed for between five and 33 years for activities including "photographing locations and collecting information, in the al-Qaida terrorist operation that targeted three different locations in Khobar," a community on the Gulf coast.

In May 2004 a series of attacks and a hostage taking in Khobar killed 22 people and wounded 25, many of them foreigners.

The man sentenced to death was found guilty of numerous offenses including transporting suspects and their weapons "so that they could execute the operation to storm the three locations and carry out the terrorist operation," SPA said.

Authorities in 2011 established specialized tribunals to try Saudis and foreigners accused of belonging to al-Qaida or of involvement in deadly attacks in the kingdom from 2003 to 2006.

The latest convictions come with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors participating in U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State group extremists in Syria, raising concerns about possible retaliation in the kingdom.