JEDDAH, 2 January 2004 — Seven suspects accused of a string of murders of local officials in Al-Jouf province have confessed to their involvement in the crimes, Al-Watan Arabic daily said yesterday. They include the two masterminds of the assassinations.
The paper said the suspects were taken to Riyadh for further questioning. A total of about 40 people are suspected of involvement in the killings.
Four local officials were murdered in Al-Jouf in the last two years. Hamad Al-Wardi, the deputy governor of the province, was shot dead in February last year while driving to his office in Sakaka. Sheikh Abdur Rahman Al-Sahibani, a judge, was gunned down in September 2002.
The two other murder victims were the police chief of Al-Aziziyah district, Hamoud Rabih, who was gunned down at his home in April 2003, and a soldier was killed on duty on an unspecified date.
