JEDDAH, 8 March — The United States has released 28 Saudi nationals detained in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, and only 11 Saudis remain in US jails, the Saudi ambassador to Washington said yesterday.
Prince Bandar ibn Sultan was quoted by the official SPA news agency as saying that a number of those released have already left for home, while others were preparing to return and three freed on bail were awaiting trial.
Around 175 Saudis were taken in for questioning following the terror attacks on New York and Washington. Several of the 19 presumed hijackers in the unprecedented jetliner bombings that left thousands dead carried Saudi passports.
Prince Bandar said most Saudis were detained for “immigration and traffic offenses and other charges.” He said the embassy appointed lawyers for all the Saudi detainees and paid their bail bonds as well as airfares to those returning home.
More than 300 Saudi students, out of 5,500, have cut short their university studies in the United States and returned home, complaining of widespread abuse, harassment and maltreatment, mainly by government agencies.
The released Saudis were: Khaled Sami Hasanain, Muhammad Ahmad Suwaidat, Fahd Ibrahim Al-Hasan, Muhammad Bakheet Al-Mahry, Khaled Saleh Al-Deraiby, Badr ibn Rashed Al-Joaib, Esam Awad Al-Habsy, Ali Abdullah Al-Mubashir, Adnan Muhammad Al-Wakeeli, Ayman Muhammad Al-Wakeeli, Muhammad Ahmad Saeed, Dabbas Al-Dabbasi, Ali Hussein Al-Dubaisy, Ali Abdullah Al-Farraj, Badr ibn Suleiman Hadyan, Abdul Rahman Al-Suwaih, Muhammad Hussein Al-Zahrani, Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al-Dosary, Nawaf Ahmad Al-Qahtani, Ahmad Ali Al-Zahrani, Ahmad Omar Attas, Muhammad Omar Al-Attas, Muhammad Ayed Al-Qahtani, Esam Adnan Al-Ghaleb and Nawaf Jalal Al-Sharief.
Prince Bandar identified the three Saudis awaiting trial as Muhammad Abdul Rauf Al-Sinan, Abdul Ilah Abdullah Al-Shuwaikhat and Hussein Abdullah Al-Zaki.
Badr Al-Joaib, 23, who was jailed only for five days and had spent four years in California studying business administration, said he would pursue his higher studies either in Canada or in an Arab country.
Saleh Al-Qahtani, 27, said he had spent two months in a “five star” jail. He said FBI agents had asked him about his commitment to Islamic faith and his opinion about Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda organization, and terrorism.
