WASHINGTON, 30 January 2004 — The United States has revoked diplomatic accreditation from 16 would-be Saudi diplomats and asked them to leave the country, a State Department official said Wednesday.
“There are 16 Saudis who we’ve asked to leave because we looked at the accreditation list and we found that they were not working at the embassy,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Rather they were teaching Islam outside the embassy and therefore not entitled to diplomatic status. I think they are leaving soon,” the official added.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters the action “was related solely to the fact that these individuals did not appear to be engaged full-time in the conduct of diplomatic duties within the Saudi Embassy.” The State Department’s “action was not based on any other information regarding their activities,” he said.
