Saudi sentenced to 7 years in prison for communicating with Daesh official via WhatsApp

JEDDAH: The Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh issued a preliminary ruling on Wednesday sentencing a Saudi national to seven years in prison after proving he supports Daesh and was in contact with an official of the terrorist organization in Syria via WhatsApp.
The defendant said he wanted to join Daesh and carry out a terrorist operation against the Nasiriyah (Alawites). He was convicted of covering up for him and informing others of how to enter Syria via Turkey. He also received information on the terrorist organization via social networking apps.
The defendant was also found to have stored sound clips with statements supporting Daesh on his mobile phone, as well as photos of its fighters.
The court sentenced him to seven years in prison, starting from the date of his arrest. Five years of the sentence were based on Royal Order Number A/44 and 2 years are based on Article 6 of the anti-cybercrime regulations. The mobile phone in his possession used for the crime was seized by the court, as per Article 13 of the regulations, while his account on the social media application was closed. The court applied a seven-year travel ban, starting from the date of his release from prison.