Manama: A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced the main accused in an assault on a policeman to 18 years in jail.
A gang using beach buggies tried to run over the plainclothes policeman in Jeddah on March 9.
The Saudi national was also sentenced to receive 1,800 lashes, 100 every year, for leading the attack.
Two other accused were given 16 years in jail and 1,600 lashes while five others were sentenced to five years for their participation in the assault that shocked the nation and prompted calls for punishing and deporting the culprits, Saudi daily Okaz reported on Tuesday.
The attack on the policeman was recorded by a woman from an apartment overlooking the scene.
The video clip shows how one buggy ran into the policeman who fell to the ground, but got up just in time to avoid a second direct attack.
The other attackers on buggies kept moving menacingly near the police vehicle as the policeman and another unidentified man tried to defend themselves.
The woman who filmed the attack can be heard calling police to dispatch prompt backup to rescue the policeman.
Makkah Governor Prince Khalid Al Faisal called for intensive efforts to arrest the culprits.
Local reports said that eight of the attackers were Africans.
Saudis welcomed the news of the arrest with jubilation, saying they deserved the harshest punishment.
“These riders have been a terrible nuisance, especially near the Corniche and next to the malls where people gather in large numbers,” Saad posted on social media. “They deserve to be punished for attacking the policeman and for annoying people. We hope there will be no mercy.”
Another user insisted that the Africans should be given lashes before they are deported.
“They have been giving us a hard time and they should not get away with their horrible acts without getting what they deserve,” Qalam Al Khanbaga said.
