A Saudi Arabian official on Sunday rejected claims that a group of Britons jailed over bombings that killed one person were tortured.
Alexander Mitchell, 44, one of six Britons pardoned and released by Saudi authorities last week has said all the men confessed to some involvement in the car bombings that took place in late 2000 because they were tortured by their jailers.
"We deny that. We'll let them be examined by medical doctors and we'll see," Adel al-Jubeir, a Saudi foreign policy adviser, told BBC radio.
Al-Jubeir said the men were pardoned by the Saudi royal family because it believed their release would help Saudi Arabia's relations with Britain.
`"... When the King of Saudi Arabia pardons people it should not be a big deal. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't," he said.
Mitchell and five others were arrested in December 2000 and appeared on Saudi state television in February 2001 to confess to their involvement in the bombings in the Riyadh in late 2000, in which a Briton was killed and four other people injured. They later withdrew those confessions.
Mitchell was sentenced to death together with Canadian William Sampson in October 2001. James Lee, James Cottle, Les Walker and Peter Brandon were given prison sentences. A sixth Briton, Glenn Ballard, who was detained for 10 months but not charged, also was released.
Saudi officials blamed the blasts on disputes between gangs dealing in alcohol, which is forbidden in the kingdom under Islamic laws but is not difficult to obtain.
Al-Jubeir said Saudi officials stood by the convictions.
"What happened is there was a series of explosions that were perpetrated by rival gangs who were involved in smuggling alcohol," he said.
"We have the evidence, we have the proof and we stand by it ... for people to think that Saudi Arabia tried to pin charges on foreigners in order to hide a terrorism problem is preposterous," he said.
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