Naji Hamdan, 43, pleaded not guilty on Monday at the Federal Supreme Court of the United Arab Emirates and said his confessions were extracted “under torture”, the source told AFP requesting anonymity.
He is accused of “promoting terrorism, participating in the work of a terrorist organisation and funding a terrorist organisation,” according to the Abu Dhabi English-language daily The National.
The public prosecution submitted a handwritten confession by Hamdan at the opening of his trial in June, the paper said.
He is reportedly accused of having direct links with the Iraqi militant group Ansar al-Sunna through email.
Hamdan has pleaded not guilty, while he is reported to have admitted that he gave money to Al-Taqwa, an institution accused of funding operations by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
His lawyer said that accessing Islamist websites was “not a crime and not a terrorist act,” arguing that Hamdan “cannot be charged for anything that has happened outside the country,” The National reported.
“None of the offences he is accused of were committed in the UAE,” he said.
Two US diplomats attended the latest hearing in the trial, which opened on June 14 and is expected to issue a verdict on October 12.
