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| Arabia | ||
| Arrest warrants issued for 23 Qatif rioters | ||
| 2012-01-03 | ||
Ministry of Interior spokesman Mansour Al-Turki said the men were working according to a foreign agenda, but he did not single out any country for blame.
Al-Turki urged the men to report to the nearest security authorities inside the Kingdom or Saudi missions abroad as quickly as possible. “If they do this then this will be taken into account when looking into their cases,” he pointed out. The ministry also warned the public against providing shelter to the wanted men, and said anyone found doing so would be prosecuted. Al-Turki said the group was acting on its own accord and did not represent the feelings of residents in the area. “We are not concerned with the other countries, as the Kingdom is targeted by more than one section. Drug dealers, gangs and Al-Qaeda are all examples.” Al-Turki pointed out that it was evident to the Ministry of Interior the men were working systematically to spread violence. He said the wanted men had criminal records. “Some of the wanted were also previously arrested for violent offenses and signed a pledge not to be involved in such behavior, but they regressed,” said Al-Turki. The 23 men, Al-Turki revealed, were requested to present themselves to the authorities after all criminal evidence was reviewed with the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution. When they failed to comply after a certain period of time, Al-Turki said a list of their names and pictures was released and orders for their arrest were issued. Al-Turki said the whereabouts of the wanted men was not clear. As some of the wanted are young, Al-Turki pointed out that they are more vulnerable and enthusiastic and the chances of manipulating them are greater. Every individual is responsible for his actions whether he was misled or not, Al-Turki stressed. “Having grievances does not justify violence. There are bodies to look into those grievances, and our mission is to maintain security.” Al-Turki, while blaming foreign influence behind deviant groups, said these groups are continuously escalating their activities and seeking ways to break the law. Two people died and three wounded in an exchange of gunfire in Qatif following a string of attacks on security checkpoints by rioters during a funeral procession. “These casualties occurred following the exchange of gunfire with unknown criminal elements who have infiltrated the citizens' ranks and are firing from residential areas and narrow streets,” the ministry said in an earlier statement. The first incident took place in October when 14 people, including 11 policemen, had been wounded in an attack on a police station in Awamiya. According to a security source, a number of security checkpoints and police vehicles came under fire during clashes in the area. | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |