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| Arabia |
| Six Men Arrested After Mecca Shootout |
| 2003-11-04 |
| Saudi police arrested six al-Qaida suspects in a clash in Mecca that left two militants dead in the streets of the sacred city, the Saudi interior minister said Tuesday. In Monday’s raid, police shot it out with the militants and also uncovered a cache of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, grenades and bomb-making materials. "We captured four of them, one of whom was injured, while two others surrendered because they were surrounded," Interior Minister Prince Nayef said. So much for dying for your cause. On Monday, an Interior Ministry official said the weapons found and the method the militants used indicate they are sympathizers of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network. The captured extremists "are without any doubt from the same organization," Prince Nayef told the state-controlled newspaper Al-Riyadh, referring to al-Qaida. "They use the same tactics." He did not say whether the militants were on the list of 19 extremists wanted since May, when the kingdom was shaken by a series of suicide attacks in the capital. Prince Nayef said the Mecca cell had rented a house in the city only for the holy month of Ramadan. "This shows that they only intended on carrying out missions during this month," he said. Or they planned on moving to another location. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 Isn't ZAM ZAM the Taste of the New Generation? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-11-4 7:58:54 PM |
| #3 Could they claim that they are stuntmen getting ready to film an action advertisement for a new cola. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-4 1:03:52 PM |
| #2 Update: Saudi authorities were tightening security in Mecca last night after an unknown number of suspected al-Qaida militants escaped a botched police raid. Early yesterday, security forces in the holy city surrounded two buildings which the suspects had fortified and ringed with sandbags, an interior ministry official said. I'm thinking the sandbags should have tipped you off something was up. "The terrorists began shooting heavily at security forces, using automatic rifles and hand grenades," he said. While a helicopter hovered overhead, police fired back at the militants as they fled in two cars. One vehicle was hit and two of its occupants killed, according to the official. Inside the premises, security forces seized Kalashnikov rifles, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades and material to make explosives. They also found passports, identification cards and leaflets with a picture of Osama bin Laden. An official statement on Saudi television portrayed the raid as a success. "The security apparatus was able to foil a terrorist operation which was ready to be implemented," it said. However, suspects have regularly escaped recent raids. Looks like they are sending in police who are not used to people fighting back. And how come that chopper didn't follow the escapees and radio other police cars to set up a roadblock? Hell, the LAPD would kick these guys ass. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-11-4 12:32:48 PM |
| #1 Something Frank pointed out yesterday hit home with me. I think these guys will soon hit one of the Saudi pipelines and then a major smackdown will ensue. I would expect taht this would be a very good time for all Westerners to leave Saudi Arabia and Yemen. I trust British intelligence warnings. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-4 11:26:01 AM |