JEDDAH, 20 November 2003 — Saudi authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle explosives, including 300 dynamite sticks, into the southern border region of Jizan, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported yesterday.
The paper said border patrols in the region seized the explosives as smugglers attempted to bring them into the Kingdom through the Yemeni border.
The Arabic daily did not reveal the identity of the smugglers but said border guards were stepping up efforts against smuggling across Saudi Arabia. In July, Yemen deployed nearly 3,000 soldiers to control smuggling from Yemen to Saudi Arabia following an agreement between their interior ministers.
The move followed reports that explosives used in the May 12 Riyadh suicide bombing were smuggled from Yemen. Thirty-five people including nine bombers died in the attack.
Every year on the 1,800-km border with Yemen, Saudi border guards arrest thousands of smugglers and people trying to enter the Kingdom illegally and seize large amounts of drugs, weapons and ammunition.
In a recent press statement, Interior Minister Prince Naif said there was coordination with Yemen to prevent the smuggling of weapons and drugs into the Kingdom. “It is not impossible,” he added.
The minister also said that Saudi border guards were “permanently monitoring” the Kingdom’s borders with Iraq to prevent any infiltration by suspected terrorists into the war-torn Arab country.
Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Qader Bajammal recently disclosed measures taken by his country to stop the smuggling of weapons and explosives to Saudi territories by reinforcing border security.
In an interview with Okaz daily, he highlighted the security cooperation between the two countries, especially the exchange of suspected wanted criminals.
The prime minister rejected suggestions that Yemen had become a breeding ground for terrorists. “Terrorism is an international phenomenon,” he added.
