Saudi Police Detain Riyadh Suicide Bombing Suspect

Police detain a man suspected in Nov. 8 Riyadh suicide bombing, first arrest in connection to attack.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20031203/wl_nm/security_saudi_arrest_dc

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it had arrested a suspect in the November suicide bombing that killed 18 people in a housing compound in Riyadh and seized a large cache of weapons including a surface-to-air missile.

An Interior Ministry statement read out on state television said the man, who was not identified for security reasons, was arrested last week after security forces raided his hideout where around 38 tons of explosives were stashed.

The announcement came a day after the United States and Britain warned of further possible attacks on Western housing compounds in the kingdom, the world's largest oil exporter and a regional U.S. ally. Riyadh is battling Muslim militants believed to be linked to Saudi-born Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s al Qaeda network.

"Security forces located the hideout of one element of the terrorist cell that carried out the bombing at the Muhaya compound in Riyadh," the statement said, adding that the suspect had been arrested on the second day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday which began on November 25.

"The search continues for other elements of this cell and others like it," the statement added.

It said security forces also found at the hideout one surface-to-air missile, four rocket propelled grenades with a launcher, 20 hand grenades, automatic rifles and pamphlets inciting violence.

Last week Saudi authorities said they foiled a bigger attack than the November bombing when they seized a car with more than 1.2 tons of explosive -- four times the amount used in last month's bombing.

Saudi Arabia has cracked down on militants since triple suicide bombings killed 35 people in Riyadh in May, including nine Americans. Officials blamed both bombings on al Qaeda.

I think that there's more going on here than meets the eye. And given that the Magic Kingdom isn't anything resembling a free state, I'd be very interested to know where this stuff is coming from and how it gets to these safehouses without anybody noticing.

Then again, I suspect that this raid was prompted by the Saudi royal that the GSPC knocked off over the weekend in Algeria.

Speaking of mosques, I remember reading that during one of the ambushes the other day, where our forces slaughtered the Fedayeen goons, they apparently came pouring out of a mosque and started firing. I must have missed the local demonstrations protesting this defiling of a holy site.

I'm thinking 38 tons won't just fit into this guy's Dodge Grand Caravan. Some major logistical support going on here, most likely from very high levels.

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