Kingdom Arrests Al-Qaeda Members; and Cooperates with Interpol on Crime

Kingdom Arrests Seven Members Of Al-Qaeda Terrorist Organization

Seven individuals linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization who were planning to carry out terrorist attacks targeting vital sites in the Kingdom were arrested by the Ministry of Interior on June 18. Six of those arrested are Saudi nationals and the seventh is a Sudanese national regarded as one of the ringleaders in this terrorist plot. The suspects were under surveillance for an extended period of time before their arrest.

The planned attack involved the use of explosives and two surface-to-air SAM-7 missiles that had been smuggled into the Kingdom and hidden in a number of different sites. The Sudanese, with one other, carried out an unsuccessful SAM-7 missile launch near the Prince Sultan Military Air Base at Al-Kharj, some 50 miles south of Riyadh. The remains of this missile were found at the launch site following the discovery of the plot and interrogation of the perpetrators. Another missile was buried in the desert outside of the city of Riyadh.

The Sudanese was able to hide in the Kingdom for some time with the help of another group of five Saudis and an Iraqi who hid him and eventually paved the way for him to flee the country. This group has also been arrested.

Given his background as an Al-Qaeda activist who had participated in the fighting in Afghanistan, the Sudanese was subsequently extradited by the Government of Sudan upon a request from the Kingdom in accordance with the relevant Arab agreements for joint security cooperation. The ministry said interrogation of those involved in this terrorist act is still going on; the results will be disclosed in due course, and the perpetrators tried in an Islamic court.

Meanwhile, Minister of Interior Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz met in Manama, Bahrain, on June 5 with his counterparts from the five other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries  — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — to discuss ways of further strengthening cooperation among the GCC states in the fight against terrorism, money laundering, crime and drug trafficking. Speaking to reporters, Prince Naif said the decisions taken by the council would enable the GCC countries to further coordinate their activities in all these areas.

In a related development, Deputy Minister of Interior Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz said Saudi authorities are investigating the car bombing that killed Simon John Veness, a British employee of Al-Bank Al-Saudi Al-Fransi (Saudi-French Bank), in Riyadh on June 20.

Noting that Saudi Arabia, like the United States and other countries, has suffered from terrorism and is working both independently and in cooperation with other countries and international organizations to combat the phenomena, he said the latest incident in this connection was the arrest of seven people in connection with the missile incident, and the existence of a group that helped the Sudanese terrorist to escape from the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia Cooperates With Interpol In Arrest Of Suspects

Saudi Arabia has asked Interpol to arrest 750 people, many of whom are suspected of being involved in terrorist-related activities, money laundering and drug trafficking, according to an official statement released on June 18. This is in addition to 1,207 cases of crime in which the Kingdom has contacted the 179-nation international police organization, seeking cooperation to solve the cases.

Responding to the report, Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble said: “Currently, there are 750 requests for arrests made by Saudi Arabia, whose Riyadh office is one of the most efficient Interpol offices in the world.” He explained that the figure includes 214 Saudis, whose names appear in Interpol’s database, as well as expatriates who have fled Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi statement noted that multilateral cooperation is essential to successfully defeating terrorism and international drug trafficking. Saudi Arabia is committed to working closely with the U.S., European and Asian governments to ensure that information is shared as quickly and effectively as possible. It added that the Kingdom has been at the forefront of international efforts in fighting terrorism and is proud of the progress made so far, but at the same time recognizes the need to do more.

After September 11, Saudi Arabia joined the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G-20 in order to develop an aggressive plan of action directed at identifying and freezing terrorist assets worldwide. The statement added that Saudi Arabia is proud to have been a leader in the development of this plan and its implementation — key objectives of both the United States and other countries in dealing with terrorism.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz has stressed the Kingdom’s “unwavering stand, without reservations, against the perpetrators of terrorism. We join with other nations in an all-out effort to identify and counter threats of terror through international cooperation, sharing of information and technical assistance.”