RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's criminal court sentenced 15 people convicted of spying for Iran to death Tuesday.
They are among 32 people arrested in June with links to Iranian intelligence services, 30 of whom are Saudi citizens. Two members of the group were acquitted and 15 others received prison sentences between six months and 25 years.
The charges included formation of a spy cell which provided Iranian intelligence with secret military information, coordinating with Iranian intelligence agents, attempts to carry out acts of sabotage against Saudi economic interests and vital installations, undermining peace and public order, and carrying out hostile acts against the kingdom. They also faced accusations of treason, attempting to recruit state agency personnel to commit acts of espionage for Iran, supporting anti-government demonstrations in Saudi Arabia's eastern Qatif area, accepting bribes, forging documents and weapons possession.
Prosecutors said some of the suspects hacked into Saudi government computers to obtain information regarding Saudi Arabia's security and economy, adding that most of the suspects were trained in espionage techniques in Iran and Lebanon.
The public prosecutor sought death sentences for 25 of the defendants, with long prison sentences for the others, Gulf News reported.
