Abu Dhabi: Defendants accused of being members of the Al Manara terrorist group and plotting to overthrow the government and set up a Daesh-style caliphate pleaded not guilty before the Federal Supreme Court on Sunday.

The court, presided over by judge Mohammad Jarrah Al Tunaiji, heard 17 defendants who claimed they committed not a single terror-related offence.

KAK, the alleged mastermind of the terrorist group, told the court that many of the accused have nothing to do with the Al Manara group “which is made up of only 10 people”.

The defendant pleaded not guilty and said the Al Manara group is a preaching organisation.

“Our belief has nothing to do with violence and we never accept overthrowing the government or disobedience of the ruler even if he is at fault,” the defendant said.

A total of 41 suspected members — including 39 Emiratis — of the alleged terrorist organisation are facing trial at a security court in Abu Dhabi.

The defendant dismissed as “fabricated’ his alleged confessions and pleaded not guilty to the charge of weapons smuggling.

“The question and answers were made by copy and paste and I never signed investigation papers. I have no relation with calling people or leaders infidels,” KAK told the court.

The defendant also dismissed any possibility of any connection with any terrorist organisation including Al Nusra Front, Ahrar Al Sham or Daesh. He denied sending any person to Syria or Iraq to fight alongside Daesh terrorists. “Whoever travelled to Syria or Iraq has done so on his or her will,” he said.

Sixteen other defendants also maintained they have nothing to do with the Al Manara group.

They told the court they practised photography, acting and writing songs at camps of the group. They added that they never knew of any illegal activities of the Al Manara group.

One of the defendants claimed that he had lost his memory since June 13, 2013 and he was treated for mental disorders in two major hospitals in Abu Dhabi. He asked that the court order prosecutors to submit his medical reports.

Another defendant said that he was an officer at the Dubai Municipality and had inspected farms and camps as part of his job when he was arrested.

Another defendant said he was forced to confess to an offence he never committed. He claimed he was held in solitary confinement and was tortured to make confessions.

Yet another defendant told the court he was a medical student and had no job or income but had been charged with funding a terrorist group.

Earlier, the court heard four lawyers who asked that defendants be cleared of all charges for the lack of serious investigation, confirmed information or irrefutable evidence.

The prosecutors have said the suspects are charged with setting up and running terrorist organisation Shabab Al Manara, ‘The Minaret’s Youths’, which upholds terrorist ideology with the intent to commit terrorist acts in the UAE, endangering the country’s security, peace and lives of its dignitaries and people.

“Their intention was to overthrow the government, kill people, attack shopping malls and hotels and declare a Daesh-style caliphate in the UAE, the witnesses told the court,” the prosecutor said.

“To carry out their terrorist acts, the suspects procured firearms, ammunition and explosives using funds they raised for this purpose and communicated with foreign militants. These militants provided these suspects with funds and people to achieve their goals inside the country,” the prosecutor added.

The suspects were also charged with planning to inflict damage on private and public properties to eventually seize power to set up a so-called caliphate state in line with their extremist ideology.

The State Security Prosecution presented five types of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, MP5 and M16 machine guns, explosives and detonators used in making bombs as well as a huge number of bullets and magazines.

The men earlier confessed in videos shown in the court that they smuggled weapons, ammunition and detonators into the UAE to overthrow the government, declare a Daesh-style caliphate in the UAE and attack prominent shopping malls, hotels and nightclubs in Dubai.

The court earlier heard the suspects confessing in the footage to planning to exploit the ensuing chaos to assassinate dignitaries.

Prosecutors stated their case during the hearing and demanded maximum punishment for the defendants.

The court adjourned the hearing to January 10 for the remaining lawyers to present their defence and to allow time for the medical reports of a defendant to be submitted.

 

 

Relatives of the defendants who attended the hearing included 26 men and 19 women.

Six lawyers attended the hearing. Four of them defended 12 men, but the other two asked that they be allowed to present their defence during the next hearing.

As the hearing ended, a number of defendants pleaded to the media to highlight the fact that they have nothing to do with the Al Manara group, as maintained by the principal defendant.