A Saudi court on Monday jailed 33 people on charges of forming a terror cell.

A Saudi court on Monday jailed 33 people on charges of forming a terror cell, local media reported.

The 33 are part of a group of 71 people standing trial on multiple charges, including accusing Saudi rulers of "infidelity".

The defendants – whose jail terms range from six months to 30 years – were also convicted of "smuggling a number of prisoners" out of jail and "targeting scholars, princes, and members of the security forces," according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

The court, meanwhile, acquitted three other defendants in the same case.
The cell members had been arrested in Riyadh in 2007 following clashes with security forces.

Last February, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz issued a royal decree mandating jail sentences of between three and 20 years for any Saudi national found participating in conflicts outside the kingdom or joining "radical" or "terrorist" groups.