Abu Dhabi: A top UAE court on Monday acquitted an Omani national of terrorism charges.

Khalifa Mosabeh Al Gafili, 23, was accused of promoting Daesh’s terrorist ideology.

No other details of the case were available on Monday.

The Federal Supreme Court, presided over by judge Falah Al Hajeri, also ordered Waleed Mohammad Al Saadi, an Emirati, to be sent to a counselling centre run by the Interior Ministry.

Al Saadi will be watched and banned from travelling for six months after he was found guilty of attempting to promote Daesh ideology.

According to UAE’s anti-terror law, convicted terrorists face life imprisonment and fines of up to Dh100 million.

The law defines a terrorist offence as “any action or inaction made a crime by this law and every action or inaction made a crime by any other law if they are carried out for a terrorist cause”.

A terrorist intent is established by a direct or indirect terrorist action or when an offender is aware of the consequences of such actions or inaction. The government established counselling centres where convicted terrorists will receive intensive religious and welfare counselling in jails in a programme targeted against future threats posed by those holding extremist views.

In another case, A.H.B., 20, from Comoros Islands, charged with joining Daesh and attempting to travel to Syria via Turkey, had his hearing adjourned to May 23.

In the third case, M.A.A., 27, and A.M.R., 27, both Egyptians, charged with setting up and running an international group affiliated to the banned Muslim Brotherhood, inciting others to join it, and raising funds for the terrorist Al Islah group, had their hearing adjourned to May 23.

The men denied the charges and their lawyer demanded access to documents of the case.

In a fourth case, Fayza Mousa, an Emirati lawyer, said her client, J.S.A.M., 16, charged with joining Daesh, was fooled by his uncle, who is from a GCC member country, into travelling to Turkey, entering Syria and joining Daesh.

“The uncle exploited the teenager and brainwashed him under the pretext that he was going to help the homeless and the needy in Syria. The youngster later left Syria and returned home on discovering more about Daesh,” Mousa told the court.

The lawyer said the defendant had no criminal intention as he travelled to Syria without knowing how dangerous his act was. He was victimised by his uncle, but he returned to the UAE on his own after he found out about Daesh.

The court set May 23 to issue a verdict in the case.

In a fifth case, A.M.S., 39, an Emirati, charged with insulting leaders of the UAE, but granted bail due to his health condition, had his hearing adjourned to May 30, when his lawyer will present his defence.

The man denied all the charges as he was psychotic, and not guilty by reason of insanity, based on a medical report submitted to the court.

 

 

Another case

 

For the first time, defendant A.K.B. was presented before the court in a case involving the prohibited Al Islah Group. The accused had been in hiding for about two years and was sentenced to life in prison in absentia. He was wanted by UAE authorities through Interpol and was captured at an Asian country’s airport before being handed over to the UAE. The prosecution asked to postpone the hearing until it prepares the list of charges against the defendant and his lawyer, Hamdan Al Zeyoudi, asked to look at the case files. The hearing has been adjourned until May 30.