JEDDAH, 25 September 2004 — Police have arrested a second suspect in the twin blasts that struck Jeddah on Sept. 11, the Interior Ministry reported yesterday, adding that the man belonged to a deviant group.
Salah Al-Najjar was arrested in the northwestern city of Tabuk late Thursday, after he escaped a raid on Monday which resulted in the arrest of fellow suspect Rida Al-Najjar, a ministry official said.
A gunbattle that ensued Monday’s police raid in Tabuk injured Rida and three security officers. “Security forces continued searching for Salah Al-Najjar and he was spotted in a residential apartment in Tabuk,” the official said, adding the man did not resist arrest.
“Investigations that followed the two blasts in Jeddah suggested Rida’s involvement,” Brig. Mansour Turki, the ministry’s spokesman said, adding that Salah’s name emerged as a result of Monday’s raid.
Results of preliminary investigations have proved that Rida is an expert in forging documents and IDs used for terrorist operations.
The twin blasts outside two Jeddah banks associated with the United States and Britain, caused limited damage but were “undoubtedly terrorist attacks,” the AFP news agency quoted Turki as saying.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda terror network have since May 2003 waged a campaign of suicide bombings and shootings in the Kingdom, killing nearly 100 people and injuring more than 200. The government has launched a massive campaign to root out terrorism from the country with the support of its citizens.
Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid, an imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, yesterday called upon Saudi universities and other educational institutions to work out a plan to protect youths from being lured to deviant thoughts and actions. He made this comment while delivering his Juma sermon to the thousands of faithful who had thronged the mosque.
