One month after the Madrid bombings, which Sheikh Salman al-Awdah had helped finance, he was signing a letter condemning the attacks on Westerners in the kingdom. Why the moderate public image? Intelligence Online provides the explanation:
To avoid tarnishing the country's image even more, Bin Laden's friends agreed to keep a low profile and the regime promised to tolerate their presence. The agreement was reached between the boss of internal security, Nayef Bin Abdel Aziz (presently convalescing in Switzerland) and members of the Movement for Islamic Resurgence [the group al-Awdah helped to create], a front for Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia.