The State Security Court at the UAE Federal Supreme Court on Monday announced verdicts in the case involving 19 men — five Emiratis and 14 Yemenis — charged with setting up and running a clandestine organisation affiliated with the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood to overthrow the government and seize power in the UAE.
Four men were each handed three years in jail to be followed by deportation. Fourteen others were each sentenced to six months in jail and deportation after serving their term, while Tareq Hassan Hussain was acquitted of all charges.
The Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood is considered a "terrorist organization" by several Arab countries, including the UAE. However, since the war in Yemen began, Saudi Arabia has forged closer ties with the group due to its Wahhabi elements.
The 19 defendants were tried for ties with the Yemen’s Muslim Brotherhood, raising funds for the group and aiding and abetting the group by not reporting it to the authorities.
Prosecutors told the court that though the defendants knew the organization had been banned in the UAE, they set up an organizational structure of the group, including planning, finance, cultural, charity and media committees.
A prosecutor said the group elected a Shura (consultative) council of the organization’s branch in the UAE, made up of 13 to 15 members, a speaker and deputy speaker.
“They met once annually and supervised the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood in the UAE. They also cooperated with the terrorist Al Islah group, raised nearly Dh2 million ($544,000) and planned to overthrow the government and seize power in the country,” the prosecutor told the court.
The accused were tried under the UAE’s anti-terrorism law, which incriminates anyone committing acts of "terror," whether directly or indirectly.
Editor's note: This article has been edited from the source material.
