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| Arabia |
| 57 hard boyz surrender |
| 2004-07-19 |
| The Saudi Interior Ministry has announced another 57 wanted militants have surrendered to security officials in recent days under a month-long leniency offer set to expire this week. The Interior Ministry said 27 of the militants came from outside the country, with 30 others from inside Saudi borders. Their surrenders bring the total to 61. As Riyadh was marking its success, Crown Prince Abdullah issued a stern warning to the country's radical clerics. "Tell your colleagues ... that we are keeping an eye on them and we know them," Abdullah said, promising "Allah's wrath will fall upon them" if they sow seeds of extremism. Security sources said more surrenders could come before Friday's deadline. Those who have surrendered have been jailed and are being interrogated, the Interior Ministry said. It is not immediately known if any of these men were on the Saudi's list of the 25 most wanted militants. A Saudi official who mediated some of the surrenders called it encouraging. The Saudi government issued an offer of leniency last month which exempted terror suspects from the death penalty in Saudi Arabia but not from civil suits by their victims' families. It was made specifically to suspects in attacks inside Saudi Arabia, an official said, and does not apply to those wanted for attacks in other countries. A Saudi cleric involved in the amnesty program has asked the Saudi government to extend the 30-day leniency offer beyond Friday. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |