RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 20 (UPI) -- The trial of 16 alleged al-Qaida militants accused of terrorism has begun in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.
The 16 suspects are accused by the prosecutor general of planning to assassinate a high-ranking government official, plotting attacks on senior government officials and security personnel in the south of the kingdom, possessing unauthorized weapons and providing shelter to al-Qaida leaders, Arab News reported.
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The defendants allegedly liaised with al-Qaida cells in Yemen to smuggle fighters to Afghanistan, Arab News said.
Human Rights Commission representatives attended Saturday's proceedings alongside relatives of the defendants, the Saudi Gazette reported.