The Ministry of Interior announced yesterday that security forces arrested 40 suspected terrorists in three different operations around the country over the past two weeks without incident.  Some of those arrested are suspected to have links to the February 24 attack on the Abqaiq oil facility.  The ministry has not released the names of any of the detained suspects, as the investigation remains ongoing.

The Ministry of Interior statement said that security forces tracked suspicious activities of individuals throughout the Kingdom.  The suspects were stockpiling weapons and electronic devices, providing financial and material support to terrorists, and using the Internet to spread their deviant message and promote violence.

The security forces carried out simultaneous operations in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Qasim, and Asir Provinces.

A 13-member cell arrested in the Eastern Province was involved in criminal activities to raise funds for the terrorists.  In one of the hideouts in the city of Abqaiq, security forces uncovered an arms cache that included 99 Russian-made grenades, 22 tear gas grenades, 18 assault rifles, 131 machine-gun magazines and a large quantity of ammunition, as well as a metal detection device.

Return