JEDDAH, 26 May — Saudi citizens have been told to keep a close watch on their passports when traveling overseas to avoid creating problems faced by hundreds of their fellow countrymen following the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Citizens should take care of their passports abroad just as they would look after their money and personal valuables,” Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmad told Okaz newspaper.
“A passport is a very important document and should be accorded maximum attention,” Prince Ahmad said.
He also urged Saudi citizens traveling abroad to register with Saudi missions.
Saudis traveling overseas should brace themselves for “more complicated airport procedures in the United States and Europe following Sept. 11 attacks,” he added.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States carried Saudi passports.
In the wake of the attacks, hundreds of Saudis, mostly students, were taken in for questioning by US authorities. Many of them were detained for minor immigration or passport violations.
A majority of them were released, but some still remain in US prisons awaiting trial.
Prince Ahmad said the government’s decision to issue passports with electronic barcodes had nothing to do with the Sept. 11 events.
“We have decided to issue such passports long before the Sept. 11 events, after observing the forgery of Saudi passports,” he explained. “The new system will make it difficult to forge either the photos or the contents,” he added.
The Interior Ministry on Wednesday cautioned Saudi nationals and expatriates living in the Kingdom to beware of foreigners who might use their identity documents in criminal and terrorist operations.
Prince Ahmad disclosed the ministry’s plan to employ more women at passport and prison departments. However, he ruled out the participation of women in civil defense activities.
“In the wake of the fire tragedy at a Makkah girls’ school, there are plans to provide training to both female teachers and students on rescue operations,” he said.
Security officers will make efforts to cut down the growing number of thefts.
“There is also a plan to set up cameras to monitor thefts on compounds and other public places,” he said.
Referring to the Westerners arrested in connection with a series of blasts in Riyadh and Alkhobar, Prince Ahmad clarified: “Their case is now at the court.”
