RIYADH, 15 October 2007 — Saudi security forces arrested yesterday the fourth and last suspect in the coldblooded murder of four French nationals near Madinah on Feb. 26.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the suspect, Abdullah Al-Muhammadi, was arrested in a desert area near Al-Jafdour, northeast of the city.
“The operation was in continuation of operations that started before the end of Ramadan and continued through Eid,” the ministry said.
The ministry ruled out that the capture was a result of a tip-off from citizens or residents in the area.
“It was a continuation of security efforts,” said Maj. Omar Al-Zalal from the Interior Ministry. The suspect was arrested with an automatic machine gun in his possession.
The capture of Al-Muhammadi has ended a long manhunt by Saudi security officials, which started immediately after the killings took place. Some of the suspects had escaped along major highways and traveled through desert roads to other regions in the Kingdom where they were later arrested.
Naser Al-Balawi, the third suspect in the slayings, was arrested in northwestern Al-Jouf region on July 15. Even though he was not directly involved in the shootings, the government wanted him for conspiracy in the incident. The second suspect, Majid Al-Harbi, was hunted down by security officers and arrested in an area 90 km north of Madinah.
The mastermind behind the murders, Waleed Al-Radadi, was killed in a shootout when security officers surrounded his hide-out near Madinah. Al-Radadi featured on a 2005 list of 36 most-wanted terror suspects in the Kingdom. A police officer was killed and two others were injured in the shootout.
Providing information about the murders on that fatal February day, the Interior Ministry said that Al-Radadi was traveling to the village of Al-Melaileh accompanied by Majed Al-Harbi, a wanted terrorist who was on the run, when they spotted the French tourists who were looking for the remnants of the Hejaz Railway.
Al-Harbi and Al-Radadi left the scene only to return later with Al-Muhammadi. The three men are believed to be the ones who opened fire on the four Frenchmen after they were separated from the women and children in the original group of nine. The group had completed a trip to the historic site of Madain Saleh, north of Madinah. Two of the dead were Muslims. Funeral prayers were offered for them at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah on Feb. 27. Three women, an 11-year-old girl, and a 15-year-old boy survived the assault and authorities believe they were not targeted.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah telephoned former French President Jacques Chirac after the incident and expressed Saudi Arabia’s condolences to the families of the victims and the French people.
King Abdullah vowed to the president that those who had carried out this terrorist act would not escape justice.
“Whoever carried out this terrorist act against innocent people represents only himself and will not escape the hands of justice,” the Saudi Press Agency reported, quoting the king.
