URGENT / Saudi Al-Qaeda commander sentenced to death

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A leading al-Qaeda Commander, of Saudi nationality and holding the post of Military Emir (Prince) of al-Qaeda in northern Iraq‘s city of Mosul, has been sentenced to death by the Central Iraqi Criminal Court, according to a statement from within the High Judicial Council on Wednesday. “The defendant, with the initials BA, who had occupied the post of the Military Emir (Prince) of the Right Side of Mosul in 2008, during the leadership of the former al-Qaeda Commander Abu-Musaab al-Zarqawi, was sentenced for execution by the High Judcial Criminal Court,” the statement, as was received by IraqiNews.com news agency, stressed. The statement pointed out that the defendant had confessed to having contributed to the Falluja battle in west Iraq, during which he lost one of his legs and was sentenced for 15 years imprisonment; at the time he gave a false name, claiming to be an Iraqi and confessed to having carried out terrorist acts, aimed at deteriorating the security situation in the country. “The evidence have proved the defendant’s open confession, along with the statement of a secret informer and a Saudi witness, whose initials read AM, have been enough to to sentence the defendant, according to Article 4A and Article 2/d of the Anti-Terrorism Law,” the said source concluded. SKH (TI)/SR 487