RIYADH, 18 June — Authorities have freed around 160 Saudis detained upon returning from Afghanistan over the past few months, Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported yesterday. The men were released after interrogation established that they were not affiliated to the Al-Qaeda network and had not participated in Al-Qaeda operations “that threatened the security of the Kingdom or other countries,” the newspaper said.
The freed Saudis had gone to Afghanistan to fight alongside the former ruling Taleban militia “out of religious fervor,” a Saudi security source told AFP yesterday. Saudi authorities “distinguish between those who were driven to Afghanistan by religious zeal and those who are members of Al-Qaeda and threaten the Kingdom’s and other countries’ security,” the source said. The Saudis released by the authorities had returned to the Kingdom during the past few months via Iran and other neighboring countries. Some of them had gone to Afghanistan before the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States.
