10-yr jail term for woman who spied for Hezbollah

A woman charged with spying for the terrorist Hezbollah party in Lebanon and supplying them dangerous, sensitive information, potentially damaging to the UAE's security and to leading government figures, has been given 10 years imprisonment. 

A UAE citizen of Lebanese origin, was found guilty of espionage conducted by exploiting the sensitive position held by her Emirati husband. She accessed confidential information about government VIPS, and other details, and passed them on to Hezbollah's intelligence agency, Falah Al Hajiri, presiding judge of the State Security Chamber at the Federal Supreme Court, ruled on Monday. 

The court verdict has also been passed on other individuals for activities ranging from spying to using phone covers featuring terror group logos. 

The curious cases

In another verdict, the court sentenced Ahmed Abdul Aziz Ramadan, a 27-year-old Egyptian, and his compatriot Ali Mustafa Ali Al Rikabi, also 27, to three years and six months in prison respectively, for running a group in the UAE, affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

Three Emiratis faced with terror charges - Mohammed Essa Abbas Hussein, Hassan Ahmed Shaheen Ahmed and Nasser Khalid Twain Al Mansouri - were remanded to counselling centres run by the Ministry of Interior, had their passports confiscated, and a six-month travel ban imposed on them.

Among the few acquittals made were Jalal-Ul-Din Khan Mohammed, a Pakistani charged with using an iPhone case with a logo saying "Daesh Love" on it; Marwan Mousa Suliman Abdullah, an Emirati charged with terror activites; and Ayoub Anbar Salem, for affronting the UAE Federal National Council (FNC) elections and its members by posting a 14-second YouTube video clip with abusive matter on the members and the electoral system.

'Well-versed terrorists'

The court also looked at several fresh cases, before issuing these eight verdicts.

In the first case, the Federal State Security Prosecution charged 27-year-old Emirati, MMSA, with joining the Ahrar al-Sham group in Syria, and attending its military training camps. The defendant denied the charge, and demanded a medical examination.

The prosecution also charged AMAA, an Emirati woman aged 35, for running web portals and social media channels featuring false information, and spreading rumours on the UAE's relations with friendly countries Egypt and Jordan, possibly defamatory to the UAE and its leadership. Confessing to the charge, the woman claimed she was unaware of the implication of her activities, and that she was a victim of brainwashing by Hassan Ahmed Al Doqi, who established the seditious UAE Umma (Nation Party).

Al Doqi is at large, and was sentenced in absentia.

Prosecutors also charged HS Kh Sh, an Emirati aged 31, with joining the Daesh splinter group Abu Bakar Battalion in Syria, and receiving military training.

In the fourth case, JAJH has been accused of terrorism, and promoting terror groups' ideologies. The defendant also denied the charges, saying that he travelled to Jordan for tourism, and to Saudi Arabia for Ummrah, and not to meet terrorist groups. Unable to hire a lawyer, JAJH has been asked by the judge to defend himself, as he is "well versed and quited collected".

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com