House of Saud in 'panic' over al-Qaida

WorldNetDaily.Com ^ | Posted: December 6, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern | © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

[Bobby777]

Al-Qaida has launched a campaign designed to undermine the security and finances of the Saudi royal family.

Western intelligence sources said the latest al-Qaida attacks indicate a campaign is underway to isolate the Saudi royal family and threaten its financial base. The campaign is based on intimidating leading Arab and Western advisers from remaining in the kingdom.

The Nov. 9 attack on the Muhaya compound appeared to signal a shift in al-Qaida strategy. Until then, the sources said, al-Qaida targeted Western nationals in the kingdom who were not considered crucial to the regime's survival.

But in the Muhaya suicide car bombing, the target was a compound that housed Lebanese financial advisers to the royal family.

The sources said the Muhaya compound included bankers and smugglers who facilitated earnings of billions of dollars in undeclared revenue.

"The royal family is in a panic and now believes al-Qaida is playing for keeps," a senior Western intelligence source said. "Without its financial advisers, the family is completely exposed."

Al-Qaida has sown panic throughout the kingdom's security forces by demonstrating it can penetrate military and other facilities with ease. British and U.S. advisers have been of little use, the sources said, because the Saudi royal family does not want to disclose information that would demonstrate the extent of al-Qaida's influence in the country.

On Nov. 22, a fire was reported in the Riyad Armed Forces hospital. The fire destroyed several rooms and caused security forces to be placed on alert throughout the region. Several foreign nurses were injured.

"This is a deliberate campaign that seeks to increase the pressure on the royal family by telling them they aren't safe anywhere, even within their own military," another Western intelligence analyst said. "This has sparked a debate over how to reconcile with al-Qaida and end this war."

On Dec. 1, Saudi Arabia provided the first official details of the Nov. 9 bombing at the Muhaya compound. Al-Qaida had smuggled in explosives from Yemen to Saudi Arabia. In late November, Saudi authorities found an additional 1.2 tons of explosives believed to have been smuggled in from Yemen.

An interior ministry statement said that in the Nov. 9 attack, al-Qaida insurgents approached the Muhaya compound while firing rifles and hurling grenades toward the gate. While the firefight was taking place, a jeep painted with the insignia of security forces and packed with 300 kilograms explosives drove into the compound.

"Then it was blown up in a suicide operation," the statement said. "Investigators have found out who is behind this operation and measures are still being taken. Security forces are still chasing the perpetrators and, God willing, they will be found and brought to justice."

In Sanaa, meanwhile, Yemeni security forces arrested a senior al-Qaida leader, Mohammed Hamdi Al Ahdal, suspected of masterminding the suicide bombing of the USS Cole.

In 1999 Al Ahdal was arrested in Saudi Arabia and spent 14 months in prison for his ties to Saudi billionaire bomber Osama bin Laden. He was then deported to Yemen.

[Bobby777]

FReepmail me if you'd like to be on or off this ping list ...

[Steel Wolf]

I'd be scared too if I had funneled that many millions of dollars to a terrorist group that wanted me dead. Any Saudi prince that gets taken out by AQ deserves an honorable mention in the Darwin Awards.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Al-Qaida has launched a campaign designed to undermine the security and finances of the Saudi royal family.

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of degenerate scumbags. :)

[clee1]

Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of Mullah-loving ragheads. Death to the House of Saud!

[zarf]

I'm happy to see the Saudis crapping in their robes.

Maybe a they could rinse themselves off in some of that crude oil they've got over there.

[Bobby777]

LOL

[Bobby777]

I agree 100% !!!

[endthematrix]

When you threaten the House of Saud, you threaten the Carlyle Group. Nuf said!

[Cindy]

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: "CURRENT TRAVEL WARNINGS AND PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS"
http://travel.state.gov/warnings_list.html

[Travis McGee]

Maybe we'll get the long-awaited Islamic civil war out of this, leading eventually to an Islamic reformation.

Or maybe it will go the other way, in which case,

We're going to find out, sooner or later, if Abdul will pray, to a glowing crater.

[Bobby777]

yep ... I'm sure they're trying to make it happen ... I do fear that they might get their hands on a nuclear weapon from Pakistan ... Musharraf is in a dangerous spot over there I'd say ... far more dangerous than that which Anwar Sadat found himself in ...

[Cronos]

Strangely enough -- bin LAden's family is part of the Saud family's inner circle -- most of the mega building projects in Saudi A are built by the bin Ladens

[Cronos]

which is why we need to appropriate the Islamic nuclear bomb owned by Pakistan. It's too unstable a country -- with a military regime in power and thousands of madrassas exporting Taliban and alQ members.

[Travis McGee]

A bloody take-no-prisoners civil war in Saudi Arabia might be exactly what Islam needs. The forces of civilization will have to confront their demons and purge them ruthlessly. Accomodation with AQ is now seen as suicidal. The Saudi military will have to be turned loose to wipe out the supporters of jihad. It's the only way out. If the forces of jihad win the civil war, then all bets are off, and target Mecca will be on the table sooner or later.

[Bobby777]

I'm sure you mean bombS ... as in there are several of them ... I'm not sure of the count but they are ready to take India on in a nuclear battle at any time ... (it appears) ...

[Travis McGee]

Exactly how do you propose to "appropriate" the Pakistani nukes? Walk in and knock on the door to the bunkers?

"Excuse me, we're here to collect your nukes" is not likely to work.

[Bobby777]

which might be why the Saudis or one of the other rogue states might go up against Israel if they face defeat ... the one thing the Arab states can agree on is their hatred of Israel ...

what a mess that is over there ...

[Cronos]

True, the approach you state will not work. However, the country is unstable, there are too many wackos there and there are instituiitonal wackos AND, most important, those wackos want to attack America. We should do the same thing that we did to the other military regime harbouring terrorists -- Iraq II. Oh, I'm not saying now, while Iraq is still a bit chaotic, but this MUST be done for our own security -- it's not a case of a tinpot dictator trying to get nukes, it's a tinpot dictator WITH nukes

[Cronos]

Yup, but most of them seem to have instructions in Chinese so we target folks that know the pictographs! ;-P