Sanaa: A Yemeni court on Thursday acquitted five Saudi nationals of links with al Qaeda but jailed two of them for illegally entering the country, lawyers said, Xinhua reported.
They were arrested in June and charged with joining the al Qaeda and fighting against the Yemeni Army.
After the hearing, the court released three of the defendants and ordered their deportation to Saudi Arabia, Xinhua reported.
The court sentenced two defendants to 18 months in prison after they were convicted of forging identity documents and entering the country illegally.
The Yemeni government has arrested and tried scores of Qaeda suspects since the beginning of this year as part of a US-backed anti-terrorism campaign.
Also, dozens of militants, including several Saudis, have been killed by US drone strikes.
Yemeni troops had defeated Qaeda fighters in the southern province of Abyan and recaptured their strongholds in May 2012 after a year-long battle.
IANS
