SAUDI Arabia’s intelligence agencies are so infiltrated by al-Qaeda sympathisers that the kingdom’s counter-terrorist campaign is failing and militant operations are spreading into neighbouring states, senior Arab and Western officials have warned. The main Saudi intelligence organisation responsible for combating al-Qaeda at the Interior Ministry is riddled with agents linked to the militants, the officials say. "Their staff is 80 per cent sympathetic to al-Qaeda," one senior Arab source said.
| More correctly phrased as "80 per cent of their staff is 100% sympathetic to al-Qaeda." |
"All Saudi intelligence agencies are compromised. To fight al-Qaeda they will need to start from scratch. I’m not hopeful the Saudis will win this one."
| I'm not hopeful they'll even try to win this one. |
The level of penetration in the security forces is highlighted by the number of former police and military men on the Interior Ministry’s list of the 26 most-wanted terrorists. They include Othman al-Amri, a former sergeant, who was No. 21 on the list and handed himself in last week as part of a royal amnesty, and Saleh al-Oufi, the leader of an al-Qaeda cell, who is a former police officer. The US embassy in Manama has urged all US citizens to consider leaving Bahrain because of "information" that extremists are planning attacks against US and other Western interests. "I’m most concerned about Bahrain. If I was a Bahraini, I would worry," said a senior Arab official from one of Saudi Arabia’s neighbours. "After that, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are also vulnerable." Evidence has emerged that Saudi Arabia is al-Qaeda’s main regional hub for recruiting, training, funding and arming its militant cells. Militants on both sides of the border have adopted identical tactics, such as suicide bombings, beheading Western hostages and dragging victims behind cars. "We’re sure these are not copycat tactics being used here. This is a co-ordinated operation," said a senior Saudi official. "These groups do not just exchange information - they also reinforce each other with trained personnel."
| If only they had listened to Old Spook and Fred. |
Jordan, too, is in the firing line. The Jordanians have intercepted several al-Qaeda teams that have infiltrated the country from Saudi Arabia with the aim of whipping up opposition to Jordan’s leadership among the southern clans, which have tribal links across the border. Although the FBI, the CIA, British intelligence, Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist squad and other foreign agencies are collaborating with the Saudis, they still face obstruction from local security services in investigating terrorist attacks.
| Only from the 80% that's 100% ... |
|