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28 Al-Qaeda Militants Arrested in Kingdom (Saudi Arabia)
The Arab News ^ | March 4, 2008 | Abdul Ghafour

Posted on 03/03/2008 11:15:42 PM PST by Stoat

28 Al-Qaeda Militants Arrested in Kingdom


P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

 
JEDDAH, 4 March 2008 — Saudi Security forces have arrested 28 militants, who were involved in rebuilding the Al-Qaeda network in Saudi Arabia to launch another campaign of terror across the Kingdom, an Interior Ministry spokesman said in a statement.

The militants had been collecting funds on the pretext of supporting the needy in Pakistan and Afghanistan — money that was, in fact, being used “to finance their criminal activities,” said the spokesman.

One of those arrested was carrying a recorded message of Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman Al-Zawahri on the memory card of a cell phone. “The bearer of this message is one of our trusted brothers, therefore, please give him your donations to help hundreds of families of captives and martyrs in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Al-Zawahri said in the audio recording aired by the Kingdom’s state television.

The Interior Ministry spokesman added that a person visiting Makkah had brought the recording to the Kingdom.

56 Arrests Since December

The latest arrests bring the total number of militants detained by Saudi authorities since December 2007 — when 28 people were arrested over alleged plans to attack sites outside the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah during the Haj season — to 56.

The Interior Ministry statement added that the 56 men were of different nationalities and included the head of the group. The men had reportedly been close to establishing hide-outs for their cells, forging travel documents and launching a media campaign through the Internet to spread their deviant ideology.

The spokesman said investigations proved that the newly detained militants belonged to Al-Qaeda and had been in contact with its leadership abroad. Those arrested were also recruiting young men and sending them to different regions of the Kingdom to participate in activities that undermine the security of Saudi Arabia.

Clampdown on Al-Qaeda

The latest arrests indicate that Al-Qaeda and other terrorist and extremist organizations are still trying to destabilize the Kingdom, the world’s largest oil supplier. A major sweep last April netted 172 militants, including pilots trained to carry out attacks on oil refineries using civilian planes.

The Kingdom has orchestrated a heavy crackdown on Al-Qaeda since 2003. It has also been building a 35,000-strong rapid reaction force to protect oil installations after a failed Al-Qaeda attack in 2006 on the world’s largest oil processing plant at Abqaiq in the Eastern Province.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has stressed that Saudi Arabia will root out terrorists from the country and has praised security forces for their work against militants.

Interior Minister Prince Naif said his forces had foiled 95 percent of attacks and that 58 police officers have so far died in anti-terror operations.



TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; alqaida; captured; gwot; ksa; saudiarabia; terror; terrorism; waronterror; wot
Translation Assistance:

when 28 people were arrested over alleged plans to attack sites outside the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah

--- Cities more commonly known to most of us in the West as Mecca and Medina (when we're speaking about them charitably, that is).

***************************************************

A major sweep last April netted 172 militants, including pilots trained to carry out attacks on oil refineries using civilian planes.

They haven't lost their fascination with those flying machines, have they?

***************************************************

The Kingdom has orchestrated a heavy crackdown on Al-Qaeda since 2003. It has also been building a 35,000-strong rapid reaction force to protect oil installations after a failed Al-Qaeda attack in 2006 on the world’s largest oil processing plant at Abqaiq in the Eastern Province.

It's certainly a shame that a similar level of dedication has not been shown in matters pertaining to stopping the distribution of anti-Western and anti-Semitic hate literature abroad, isn't it?  OOPS! I guess I wasn't supposed to mention that, was I?

Muslim school 'that taught pupils from race hate texts made photocopies after order to shred them'

1 posted on 03/03/2008 11:15:44 PM PST by Stoat
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To: Dog

One of those arrested was carrying a recorded message of Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman Al-Zawahri on the memory card of a cell phone.


2 posted on 03/03/2008 11:18:23 PM PST by txhurl
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To: Army Air Corps; jeffers; shield; G8 Diplomat

Carrying rhymes from Zawahiri. Hm.


3 posted on 03/03/2008 11:20:14 PM PST by txhurl
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To: Stoat

Looks like they are starting to figure out that the crocodile is on their doorstep.


4 posted on 03/03/2008 11:20:18 PM PST by Republic of Texas (Socialism Always Fails)
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To: Republic of Texas
Looks like they are starting to figure out that the crocodile is on their doorstep.

It's certainly taken them a while, hasn't it?  One naturally wonders why that may be.....  (others don't really wonder and are darned sure of the reasons)

The Kingdom has orchestrated a heavy crackdown on Al-Qaeda since 2003.

5 posted on 03/03/2008 11:25:10 PM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Republic of Texas

Looks like we may have gotten Zawahiri.


6 posted on 03/03/2008 11:27:14 PM PST by txhurl
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To: txflake

There must be some sort of mistake. Al Queda is only in Afghanistan. /s


7 posted on 03/03/2008 11:32:50 PM PST by Mogollon (Vote straight GOP for congress....our only protection against Obama-Clinton, or McCain.)
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To: Cap Huff; Dog; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Wiz

Roundup in the kingdom.


8 posted on 03/03/2008 11:40:38 PM PST by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: txflake

What makes you say that?


9 posted on 03/03/2008 11:41:54 PM PST by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: txflake; All
More from Ayman Al-Zawahiri (he's been busy)

MEMRI Latest News

"Release of New Book by Ayman Al-Zawahiri, in Response to Sayyed Imam: A Treatise Exonerating the Nation of the Pen and the Sword from the Blemish of the Accusation of Weakness and Fatigue"

(a polemical defense of Al-Qaeda against its most prominent Islamist critic, the imprisoned jihadist Sheikh Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif.)

10 posted on 03/03/2008 11:54:34 PM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

NO way,
A year or so ago the Saudi Govt. said they had taken care of ALL the Al-Qaeda militants in their pooh hole of a country. They said they no longer had militant mooselimb issues.
They also insist their are no fags in the sand pile either.


11 posted on 03/04/2008 2:44:02 AM PST by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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To: Joe Boucher

Well let me think....a women rides in a car with a man she is not related to.....and they want flog her. BUT, People living in a terrorist frame of mind that are a threat to the world and Saudi’s only livelyhood, are arrested, given 3 squares and a cot. Go figure.


12 posted on 03/04/2008 5:26:01 AM PST by Wavrnr10 (Eagles soar but weasels don't get sucked in jet engines)
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To: Stoat; All

When will these idiots understand that the root of this problem is allowing Madrassas in Saudi Arabia to teach the Wahabist for of Islam? As long as that continues, these guys will keep right on coming.


13 posted on 03/04/2008 6:17:16 AM PST by wingsof liberty
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To: Straight Vermonter

Roundups are good,...still a lot left to round up....


14 posted on 03/04/2008 9:27:42 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: Stoat

Interesting...a message from Z-Man, eh? Hmmm...

If the Saudis figure out that AQ is trying to destabilize their kingdom and thus the oil routes, one would hope they’d step it up on cracking down on them. But there are never any guarantees with these guys.


15 posted on 03/04/2008 10:31:07 AM PST by G8 Diplomat
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To: Wavrnr10

Let’s play thier game and decapitate their sorry heads on international T.V.


16 posted on 03/04/2008 12:38:25 PM PST by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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