Saudi Arabia - Al Qaeda Terrorist Attack at Hajj Foiled

Home > Articles > 2007 > Items of Interest > December 22, 2007

Saudi Forces Foil Al-Qaeda Terror Plot

Saudi Forces Foil Al-Qaeda Terror Plot
Samir Al-Saadi, Arab News

JEDDAH, 22 December 2007 � Saudi security forces have arrested an Al-Qaeda-linked group of people planning to carry out terrorist attacks during the annual pilgrimage, Al-Arabiya satellite channel reported yesterday. Informed sources told the channel that the arrests took place in different cities of the Kingdom.

�The group aimed to trouble the security of the pilgrimage,� which attracted nearly three million Muslim faithful from around the world this year, the television report said. Members of the group, whose number was unknown, were arrested �three days before the start of the Haj season�, or at the end of last week, the sources told the Dubai-based channel.

The new disclosure came after the Interior Ministry announced last month the arrest of 208 terror suspects, including 32 terror financiers. Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the arrests took place following pre-emptive operations carried out by security forces over the last few months.

�Security forces foiled an impending attack on a support oil facility in the Eastern Province,� the spokesman said, adding that an eight-member cell led by an expatriate man was behind the plan.

The arrested militants also included an 18-member cell, which had smuggled eight missiles into the Kingdom in order to launch terrorist operations. �There was a 22-member cell which formed a special team to assassinate Islamic scholars and security officers,� he said.

Source: Arab News

Related Items:

Saudi-US Relations Information Service
eMail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.Saudi-US-Relations.org
� 2007
Users of the The Saudi-US Relations Information Service are assumed to have read and agreed to our terms and conditions and legal disclaimer contained on the SUSRIS.org Web site.