A defendant in the UAE’s ongoing terror trial has confessed horrific plans that a covert group has been planning in the emirates to “incite chaos, even if it leads to deaths”. The defendant is one of 84 accused terrorists on trial in the country. The confession was part of the evidence that the Public Prosecution presented in court, according to state media WAM. The group has been accused of crimes related to establishing and managing a terrorist group as well as money laundering. The Public Prosecution is demanding maximum punishments, which include the death penalty and life in jail. The hearing into the case has been adjourned to March 7 for the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court to hear pleadings from the counsels representing the 84 defendants, including accused individuals and entities. Meanwhile, evidences given by the Public Prosecution in the ongoing trial include confessions of one of the defendants that the organisation studied events coinciding with the "Arab Spring Revolutions" in order to create the same scenario in the UAE. The defendant confessed that group members proposed the establishment of a secret terrorist organization called "Justice and Dignity Committee" to “instigate a violent revolution” that would involve deadly clashes with security personnel in the UAE. The defendant said the move is aimed at sparking widespread anger that could lead to deadly mass protests and draw media attention and support from external organisations. The defendant said that the secret terror group planned to stage a public protest in a popular square in the country, and has established teams with specific tasks to carry out the plan. The teams included an electronic team to spread news on the internet and social media; a media team to create accounts and publish media campaigns on social media; a legal team; a national team to incite intellectuals in the country; and an external action team to help the organisation's members escape from the country in coordination with Muslim Brotherhood organisations in the Gulf. The Public Prosecution showed documents proving the defendants' involvement in inciting public opinion and undermining citizens' confidence in the UAE government. It showed evidence that members of the organization held meetings in their homes, and also paid monthly sums of money to fund the organization. The prosecution also presented documents that were seized from one of the defendants, which included a plan to translate news, articles, and incitement reports into English, and to contact media outlets, including 27 foreign media platforms, and provide them with black propaganda. The plan also included holding a series of meetings with prominent foreign journalists on the pretext that there was a state of discontent in the society, so that foreign media would cover it. The Public Prosecution also presented audio recordings, as well as a video clip proving that one of the defendants incited students to go out into the streets in protest, film their street protest and post the videos on social media to incite anger in society. A committee of media experts that analysed the secret organisation’s media activity confirmed that its media campaigns were “carried out in a systematic manner with a unified approach, and that the defendants deliberately sought to create a state of popular anger, incite public opinion, and incite it, target national unity, cast doubt and belittle the success of the country's development model, generate a state of anger, and create a state of tension and direct the collective mind towards accepting the idea of gathering and protesting.” On the charge of money laundering, the Public Prosecution confirmed that the members of the group established two companies for the collection and payment of illegal donations. A witness also testified that members paid a subscription fee equivalent to 5 percent of their monthly income, and 1 percent of profits from members who are business owners or other professionals. The illegal donations were allegedly kept in the safe in the house of the terror group’s financial manager before they were handed over to the heads of the group’s central committees upon instructions of the group’s board of directors. The witness also testified that the group established a financial entity through which the group could be financed through real estate investments within the country. The witness said that the organisation deliberately used a chain of companies to hide its source of illegal funding. The Public Prosecution presented evidence of suspicious funds being transferred between these companies to purchase assets, shares, and real estate; and bank loans that the companies took so the group can invest in financial and real estate assets to increase its capital. ICA/Expat Media
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