Nine suspected Al-Qaeda members accused of plotting attacks in the United Arab Emirates have gone on trial in Abu Dhabi’s state security court

Nine suspected Al-Qaeda members accused of plotting attacks in the United Arab Emirates have gone on trial in Abu Dhabi's state security court, newspapers reported Tuesday.
  
A first hearing was held Monday, and the case adjourned until May 19 to allow for defense lawyers to be appointed, the reports said. The nine accused of forming an Al-Qaeda cell, including one being tried in absentia, are Arab nationals, most of them from North Africa, according to Al-Khaleej newspaper.
  
They are charged with "planning attacks damaging to the country's security and (foreign) residents." The indictment also accuses them of having "recruited, financed and given logistical support to Al-Qaeda" and attempting "to extend their activities to other countries in the region."
  
Abu Dhabi announced in April 2013 having dismantled an Al-Qaeda cell planning attacks in the United Arab Emirates, one of the most stable countries in the Middle East.