Abu Dhabi: The State Security Court at the Federal Supreme Court adjourned the case of 15 defendants charged with creating a terrorist organisation to October 21, in order to listen to the defence lawyer’s pleadings.

The defendants are charged with creating an organisation named Ahrar Al Sham, ‘Freedom fighters of the Levant – the UAE branch,’ which belongs to the Al Qaida and Al Nusra Front in Syria.

The court session on Sunday lasted for about an hour and a half, during which presiding judge, Mohammad Jarrah Al Tunaiji listened to pleadings by the public prosecution.

Representatives from the prosecution listed the charges against the defendants in criminal case number 147/2013, saying that the defendants’ alleged organisation aimed to threaten security and stability in the UAE.

The prosecution also said the organisation aimed to provide Al Nusra and Ahrar Al Sham with money, weaponry, human resources, supplies, and tools to make bombs, even though the defendants knew that their actions are against UAE laws.

In its argument, the prosecution accused the first defendant of organising and running the group as well as training others to join. The defendant allegedly set up an organisational structure and divided members into two groups; the first of which would undergo military training to fight, build bombs, use guns, and then travel to Syria. The second group, called the Support Group, was in charge of logistics, money, and providing supplies for the training.

The prosecution’s representative used pictures and video clips to illustrate how the first defendant created the group and communicated via the internet with terrorist organisations in Syria. He added that other members of the group had been undergoing military training in Ajman, and learning how to build bombs through materials from shops that sell firecrackers.

The prosecution also accused defendants of conducting seven tests on the explosives in the emirate, causing damage to the environment and public health.

Additionally, the prosecution accused the defendants – four of whom have fled the country – of collecting nearly Dh36,000 and transferring the money to terrorist organisations in Syria along with video cameras, computers, bomb-building tools, 14,000 car engines, and other electronic supplies.

The prosecution said that upon inspecting the first defendant’s house, a computer was found that included files with the organisational structure of the Emirati group, which held the name ‘Freedom fighters of the Levant – Victory is coming.’ The files included names of the members and details about every department in the organisation.

The prosecution said they also found the organisational structure of groups in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The prosecution demanded the harshest punishment according to articles 2 and 10 of the Federal Law No 1 for the year 2004, and articles of Federal Law No 7 for the year 2014, which discuss fighting terrorism.

The court session was attended by 13 members of the defendants’ families, and nine journalists.