Saudis Sweep Up Al Qaeda Suspects

Hundreds Of Arrests This Year May Have Foiled Attacks On Oil Fields

(AP)  Saudi authorities have arrested 701 suspected al Qaeda-linked militants this year, including some who were plotting attacks against the kingdom's oil and economic installations, the Interior Ministry said.

Of those initially arrested, 520 remain in custody while the others were released because there was no proof linking them to the terror network, according to a ministry statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Riyadh has in the past reported large militant arrests, including those linked with al Qaeda, but the latest figure was the largest and the most comprehensive to date.

The detainees had planned a car bomb attack against one of the kingdom's oil installations, the statement said. They belonged to "cells" which planned to revive "criminal activities" in the kingdom, and their leaders were based outside the country, it said.

One of the suspects had a message from Ayman al-Zawahri - al Qaeda's No. 2 leader - which police had found. The ministry statement did not specify whether the message was a letter or some other form of communication.

According to the police, the message urged the suspect to raise money and instructed him that al-Zawahri will "provide persons ... who will arrive from Iraq, Afghanistan and north Africa to target oil installations and fight security forces."

The suspected militants "in fact began to plot to target an oil installation and another security (target) with car bombs," the statement said but did not name the facility or the second target.

The ministry said those arrested took advantage of "communication facilities" offered to pilgrims who regularly come to Saudi Arabia to visit Islam's holy sites.

The oil-rich kingdom, which is the birthplace of al Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden, has been waging a heavy crackdown on the group's militants since a 2003 wave of attacks on foreigners here.

In April 2007, Saudi Arabia announced one of its largest anti-terrorism sweeps that netted 172 Islamic extremists.

Those arrests were said to have stopped plans to mount air attacks on the kingdom's oil refineries, break militants out of jail and send suicide attackers to kill government officials.

[greatdrivew]

Posted by mortal3 at 10:19 PM : Jun 25, 2008

Yea right... they probably scooped up a bunch of innocent peasants to make it look good. This world is so ****** up.

**********

Sadly, I wouldn''t be one bit surprised to discover you are correct.

[DDouville]

To UBREW12: Don''t kid yourself my friend, they have not stopped attacking us, as I write this plans are being made to attack the United States. If you look at the history of Al Quaeda, they like coordinated attacks, and very often they occur shortly after a new US President takes power. Test the waters as they say. Every time you buy gas, you can bet some of that money goes to finance terrorists. Agents in some of the countries with oil funnel off money to them. That is a problem with Al Quaeda, they have huge amounts of $$$ and they are very patient. Our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan nulifies any benefit we would get by leaving Saudi Arabia, and we still have troops in Saudi Arabia, although not a large number. Wake up, close the hatches, never forget 9/11. They will test our countries next leader, I am sorry to say. Things went to far with 9/11. The most horrific attack in the history of mankind. Worse than December 7, 1941, as they targeted civilians. It''s too bad things have evolved to this point. Civilized man should help one another instead of figuring out ways to destroy and kill. There is no turning back, just like the Israeal/Palestine conflict. It''s all become too dirty. Past the point of no return. Peace Out Amigos, keep your head down!

[sandykent32]

If the Saudi''s really want to arrest all the terrorists, they need to handcuff themselves. They are all lying sneaky american hateing towelbrains.
Learn more about the Saudi Lie at www.theoandavirus.com

[colonieny]

when will they end slavery in that part of the world ?

[ubrew12]

Al-Qaida stopped attacking us after we closed our military bases in Saudi Arabia (i.e. after we stopped ''despoiling'' the holy sands that gave birth to Muhammed).

It''s too bad, the House of Saud can''t leave as easily.

[feelfree4u]

Re: "If you hate and want to stop these **********, please join us at www.theoandavirus.com."

Is that a KKK site?

[wooleywews]

Does the ant or sparrow glutton themselves on the richness of mother earth? Does not the pine and the palm sway to the same breeze?
WE MUST TALK -- sigh --to the misunderstood overly bold Islamic disruptors.Honestly,with real feeling being truthful of the extreme excesses that Western Civilization has punished these poor nomad peoples with. ONLY THEN, only then will we understand them and change.Then these poor nomad will vent constructively their justifiable rage, and peace will return.Remember Does the lion roar to offend? Or does he roar to defend.

[rudy654-2009]

My money''''s on witch-hunts.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by FeelFree4U at 05:04 PM

Its all for show. I doubt seriously that they did a thing to arrest anyone who wasn''t a women in a car with another man.

[rudy654-2009]

Posted by dogsoul at 05:29 PM

Better condolonces to the people who died innocently, while Al Qaeda is harbored and protected in Saudi Arabia. But admit it, if you could have your Christian way, you would have all us under a nasty little theocracy like Al Qaeda.

[dogsoul]

...my condolences to liberals on this most discouraging news for their radical Islamic allies

[feelfree4u]

Re: "Hundreds Of Arrests This Year May Have Foiled Attacks On Oil Fields"

And they may have just been witch-hunting exercises.

Is Saudi Arabia a free and democratic society?

My money''s on witch-hunts.

[hungry1968]

Note how they were able to locate them and "sweep them up" to protect the oil fields.

Too bad they couldn''t have "located them and swept them up" in response to 9/11, huh?


Some allies we have.....

[randynason]

What''s this? The Saudis are taking a pro-active approach to al Qaeda rather than a back-seat to their girlfriend and consort, George Bush? And "they" said that ****-erotica was dead in Saudi Arabia. Bend over again, George.

[frootloop47]

I''ve alway had a theory that US Oil Companies want to use up all of the Middle East oil. Then They (US Oil Companies) can be the new power mongers....as if they didn''t have US by the ball$ already :-)

[frootloop47]

Saudis Sweep Up Al Qaeda Suspects....
Good! It''s about the the "Arab Brotherhood" starts cleaning up their own Neighborhood.

[yongamerica]

notblue you have no grasp on the problem. There has been nothing to stop oil companies from building new refineries in the US. The feds have been encouraging such a action. but the fact is its cheaper to refine oil in other nations with little or no environmental rules.

US oil companies already have leases on 65 million acres (65,000,000) in the US for oil exploitation and they have yet to drill one production well in this land.

Perhaps you should be a leader and lead others like you to better education on this topic.

[peguesplace]

How soon we forget.. About fifty years ago, the Saudis nationalized the oil fields that the industrialized world built and developed; without compensation. When we removed Saddam Hussein from power, they no longer needed our protection. Now we are at the mercy of Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves(dba OPEC).
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of the Radical version of Islam adhered to by Al Quaeda and its ilk.. The whole world is at the mercy of these hypocritical bandits, who "speak with forked tongue".
I''d rather deal with the proverbial "used car salesman" than with the Saudi royal family.
OPEC! KIck Their A**, and take their gas!!

[peguesplace]

How soon we forget.. About fifty years ago, the Saudis nationalized the oil fields that the industrialized world built and developed; without compensation. When we removed Saddam Hussein from power, they no longer needed our protection. Now we are at the mercy of Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves(dba OPEC).
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of the Radical version of Islam adhered to by Al Quaeda and its ilk.. The whole world is at the mercy of these hypocritical bandits, who "speak with forked tongue".
I''d rather deal with the proverbial "used car salesman" than with the Saudi royal family.
OPEC! KIck Their A**, and take their gas!!

[pcralidis]

Frankly, I think the Saudi''s are about as two-faced as they come! Remember during the first Gulf war when Saddam Hussein posed a significant threat to the Saudi''s? Oh,...they were so very willing to increase their oil output, allow us on their "soil", but now that there''s no one really left to pose such an overt threat to their way of life...they just "pussyfoot" right on along. I''d love to see the Saudi''s reaction if they were to be REALLY in danger of being overrun by Al-Quida; I can see it now...oh America...please, please help us poor defenseless, Islamists''!! Give me a break!

[bluestardad]

SAUDI USED JAMES BAKER TO REPRESENT THEM AGAINST THE 911 VICTIM FAMILES