Riyadh- A Saudi court issued on Tuesday an initial death sentence against two Saudis on charges of decapitating Saudi intelligence colonel Nasser al-Othman in 2007, after tying him up.

A third suspect, however, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and was given a travel ban for the attempted murder of Commander of Emergency Force in Al-Qassim and for his attempts to establish a terrorist cell in Saudi Arabia in coordination with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the slain leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The first suspect funded terrorist activities by handing out an amount of SAR130, 000 to his accomplice to deliver it to al-Qaeda in Iraq. He also confused investigators by concealing his role in transporting some wanted men to Tabuk to facilitate their participation in conflicts in Iraq. Also, he did not deny being an accomplice in al-Othman’s murder. Yet, he pretended to be insane at the beginning of the investigation.

The Specialized Criminal Court provided evidence that the second suspect met al-Zarqawi, and coordinated with him the infiltration of Saudi youths to Iraq and the attempt to establish a new terrorist cell in Saudi Arabia. He had a role in al-Othman’s killing as well.

Furthermore, the third convicted man admitted being a member of al-Qaeda and convening with wanted people to prepare jihadists for military training in Saudi Arabia. He also admitted that he had made attempts to assassinate the Commander of Emergency Force in Al-Qassim.

Security investigations lasted up to eight years due to deception and procrastination of the cell members. But the Specialized Criminal Court issued its verdict following five months of deliberations.