Abu Dhabi: The State Security Division of the Federal Supreme Court on Monday heard three cases involving terror suspects charged with attempting to overthrow the government and seize power in the UAE.
In the first case, prosecutors told the court, presided over by judge Falah Al Hajeri, two Emirati defendants were charged with setting up Istanbul-based UAE Umma Party, which called for overthrowing the government and seizing power in the country.
“The two men coordinated with so-called Umma parties in the Gulf states and the terrorist Al Islah group in the UAE, an affiliate of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, to establish so-called UAE Anonymous Movement to seize power in the UAE,” Saqer Saif, the State Security Prosecutor told the court.
The prosecutors also said the men contacted members of terrorist groups in Syria, including Daesh and Al Nusra Front. They also communicated with terrorist groups in Libya and were trained there to set up militias of UAE Umma Party, which planned a number of terrorist attacks in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, a prosecutor told the court.
The court adjourned the hearing to November 7.
Al Islah links
In the second case, an Egyptian, S.S.A.B., charged with aiding and abetting terrorist Al Islah group to promote terrorist ideology of the group calling for overthrowing the government in the UAE.
“The man, a member of Egypt’s Muslim Botherhood since 1990, arrived in the UAE in 2010 and joined the Al Islah group. He sent Dh60,000 to a fugitive member of the group in Sweden,” a prosecutor told the court.
The prosecutor added the defendant also received audio and video materials calling for overthrowing the government and seizing power in the country to incorporate them in anti-UAE TV productions.
The court adjourned the hearing to November 14, when lawyers can present their defence.
In the third case, an Egyptian, M.M.S.A.,35, charged with joining Daesh and taining in its camps in Syria before travelling to the UAE, had his hearing adjourned to November 14, when the lawyers will present their case.
Convicted terrorists will face capital punishment, life imprisonment and fines of up to Dh100 million, according to the UAE counterterrorism law.
The law, endorsed in 2014, 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”.
Terrorist results include inciting fear among a group of people, killing them, or causing them serious physical injury, or inflicting substantial damage to property or the environment, or disrupting security of the international community, or opposing the country, or influencing the public authorities of the country or another country or international organisation while discharging its duties, or receiving a privilege from the country or another country or an international organisation, according to the law.
