A Saudi court has sentenced two men to death and five others to be jailed for their roles in fatal bombings in 2000.
Britons Alexander Mitchell and Canadian William Sampson are to be executed. Fellow Britons James Lee, James Cottle, Les Walker and Peter Brandon and Belgian Raf Schyvens have been given prison sentences, according to lawyer Mr Michael O'Kane.
The men were arrested after Briton Christopher Rodway (48), who worked in a Saudi hospital, was killed in a November 17th blast in Riyadh that also slightly injured his wife. On November 22nd, another car bomb injured two men and a woman, all Britons.
Mr O'Kane, who works for the Saudi law firm that is representing the British and Canadian defendants, could not say how long the jail sentences were or on which charges each was convicted.
Mr O'Kane said defence lawyers had appealed against the verdicts, saying the men were tortured into making confessions that were later withdrawn.
Mr Sampson, Mr Mitchell and Mr Schyvens were shown on Saudi state television in February 2001 confessing to carrying out the bombings. No motive was given.
Those sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded in public using a sword.
The British and Belgian embassies in Riyadh have refused to comment on the verdicts. Canadian Ambassador Mr Melvyn MacDonald said in a statement the decisions were not final and that Mr Sampson's case would be raised by Canadian officials later this week in a meeting with Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef.
AP