Riyadh, January 10: The Ministry of Interior announced Sunday a list of 47 Saudis abroad who are wanted for links to Al-Qaeda.
A ministry statement said that so far five wanted persons had handed themselves in from foreign lands, while others have “made themselves tools in the hands of the enemies of the religion and the nation to be exploited and at the orders of human devils to carry out despicable acts targeting their people and nation”.
“The relevant authorities have identified 47 Saudis abroad wanted by the security authorities and who have taken up the deviant ideology and its sick vision and are waiting for the opportunity to carry out or assist in committing criminal acts against the nation,” the statement said.
The statement then listed the 47 names in alphabetical order as presented to Interpol, and reiterated the ministry’s appeal for wanted Saudis to hand themselves in to the authorities, saying that such a move would be taken into consideration when their cases are under review.
This was the fifth in a series of lists of people with suspected Al-Qaeda links to be released so far by the Interior Ministry. The Ministry of Justice announced Saturday that the Penal Court tasked with cases related to “the deviant group and plots against national security” had by the end of last year heard and reached initial verdicts in a total of 442 cases involving 765 individuals.
Last month police at a checkpoint in Wadi Al-Dawasir, 600 kilometers southeast of Riyadh, killed an Al-Qaeda militant disguised as a woman after he emerged from a car and fired at security personnel.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda launched a wave of attacks against Westerners and government installations between 2003 and 2006 before coming under a severe crackdown by the authorities.
Many are believed to be active in neighboring Yemen under the banner of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) which is based in Yemen.
– Agencies