EFL
In a series of police raids in and around the holy city of Medina, Saudi law enforcement officials have arrested at least five men linked to the recent suicide attacks in Riyadh, including the accused mastermind and perhaps two of the clerics who backed the attacks with religious sanction. Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz confirmed that a number of arrests had been made. Western diplomats and Saudi newspaper reports said that at least five men had been arrested linked to the May 12 bomb attacks. A Saudi newspaper, Al-Watan, reported that at least three alleged Al Qaeda members were arrested in an Internet cafe in the holy city of Medina, including Ali Abd al-Rahman al-Faqasi al-Ghamdi, who is believed to have planned the bombing.
Nabbed them in a internet cafe? Did ya happen to check and see who they were e-mailing?
| They were probably sending e-mails to the editors of al-Majalla, telling them what great jihadis they are. Al-Ghamdi is said to be Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj, alias Mullah Seif el Din. Prince Nayef said what I thought was the same guy surrendered on May 15th, too. I dunno if he was on work release or what. Just by coincidence, one of the Soddies jugged in Morocco last June for the Great Exploding Rubber Raft Plot was Abdullah Mesfer Ali al-Ghamdi. Wonder if they're related? The fact that Morocco exploded a few days after Riyadh makes me think so... |
Al-Watan quoted witnesses as saying Mr. al-Ghamdi was at the cafe with two other men. The three are said to have performed noon prayers with workers at the cafe and were arrested just as they left. They put up no resistance, Al-Watan quoted the witnesses as saying.
The leaders never do
Mr. al-Ghamdi's name was included among 19 men sought in connection with a huge arms cache discovered on May 6 near the site of the Riyadh bombings. Saudi law enforcement officers have taken about 100 people into custody since the attacks, but the arrest's Tuesday were the first of anyone believed directly linked to the plot. Web sites popular with militants also said today that at least two clerics wanted in connection with issuing fatwas supporting the attack were also killed in a shootout with law enforcement officers. But a Western diplomat said that appeared to be incorrect and that the two were probably arrested.
Shootings to be held at a later date.
| I'm kinda hoping the diplomat's wrong... |
Saudi officials had said previously that those behind the bombings were believed to have fled to Iraq.
They also previously said there were no terrorists in Saudi.
FOLLOWUP: From Debka... You know the drill...
Al Qaeda local operatives notified superiors by telephone that Saudi security killed two of four terrorists cornered in Medina - Ali Bin Khudeir, rated by counter-terror experts as leader of Riyadh suicide attacks who entered Saudi Arabia from northern Iraq, and Ali Khalidi. Two others escaped. Bin Laden discovered in e-mail traffic Wednesday afternoon to have convened hasty leadership meeting and issued immediate threat of revenge against Saudi rulers.
| That would be the obligatory Dire Revenge™... Oh, dear! I hope the Soddies don't get caught up in a Cycle of Violence™! When I was a little kid, I fell off my cycle of violence and skinned the hell out of both my knees... |
More, from Middle East On-Line (the original story)...
Two Saudi clerics at large in the kingdom have been killed in a raid by Saudi special forces on a villa in the western city of Medina, a Saudi Islamist opposition group said Wednesday. "Ali Khudhair al-Khudair and Ahmed bin Hmud al-Khaldi were killed during a raid on Monday undertaken by Saudi special forces on a villa where they had hidden out with their disciples, one of whom was also killed," Saad al-Faqih of the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia said.
| They're the Qaeda sympathizers, so I guess it was their holy men who were waxed... |
Several Islamist websites also reported the raid to net the two clerics, accused by the Saudi government of issuing religious decrees, or fatwas, calling for jihad against the "Crusaders." A third cleric, Nasser bin Hamad al-Fahd, is still sought by authorities after going into hiding with his two colleagues on March 20, just before the US-led war on Iraq.
| I think this is the first incident I can recall where holy men were intentionally bumped off. I think it's a wonderful sign... |
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