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UAE to try 41 on terror charges

August 3, 2015 at 11:36 am

The United Arab Emirates Public Prosecutor has referred 41 people of various nationalities, including Emiratis, to the Federal Supreme Court on charges of setting up a terrorist organisation to overthrow the government and establish a so-called Caliphate.

“The defendants were charged with setting up and running a terrorist organisation named Shabab Al-Manarah [“The Minaret Youths”],” said Salem Saeed Kubaish, the UAE’s Attorney General. “It upholds terrorist thought with the intent to commit terrorist acts inside the country and endanger its security and peace and lives of its people, including their leaders.”

According to Kubaish, the suspects were also charged with intending to damage private and public property in their attempt to establish a Caliphate.

“To carry out their terrorist acts,” he added, “the suspects procured firearms, ammunition and explosives, using funds they collected for this purpose, and got in touch with foreign terrorist organisations and groups. These groups provided the suspects with funds and people to achieve their goals inside the country.”

The group formed committees to recruit young Emiratis, explained the attorney general, and planned to train them on how to use firearms, carry out attacks using explosives and how to record audio and video messages to promote their ideas online.

The statement gave no further details about the defendants’ nationalities, when they were arrested or the date of their trial.