Car bombing foreigners held in Saudi Arabia released
The five Britons and one Canadian who had been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for a series of bomb attacks have been released.
The men had been imprisoned for their alleged part in a bombing campaign that saw a series of car bombs planted in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
Les Walker, from Neston, Merseyside, James Cottle, of Urmston, Greater Manchester, Peter Brandon from Cardiff, Sandy Mitchell and William Sampson, both from Glasgow, and James Patrick Lee were all jailed in 2002.
The Saudi authorities claimed that the bomb attacks were part of a turf war between alcohol bootleggers. However, the men claimed that they were innocent and that the bombings were part of the rise of Islamic militancy in the country.
The bomb attacks which ran from 2000 to early 2002 killed one person.
The Saudi Arabian embassy in London has confirmed that the British men will arrive in London at around 3pm (BST) today.
The men, two of which faced the death penalty, have been granted royal clemency by the King, Fahd bin Abdulaziz.
Mr Mitchell and Mr Sampson both faced being beheaded after being convicted of planting a bomb under a car in November 2000, whilst the others were sentenced to 18 years in prison for being part of the bombing plot.
Liberal Democrat MP for Southport, John Pugh, who was campaigning for the release of the men stated that their release was ‘excellent news’.
Mr Pugh stated, ‘The fact that they have been given ‘royal clemency’ and set free is even more remarkable considering the charges they were facing.’
The lawyer for the men in Saudi Arabia, Salah al-Hejailan, announced the news of their release to Reuters.
