The fight against terrorism worldwide is a slow and methodical struggle in which extreme vigilance must be complemented by exhaustive analysis of the clues that the killers inevitably leave behind them. The terrorist always has the advantage of choosing the time and place of his attack. The security forces need the speed and intelligence resources with which to respond.
Here in the Kingdom, they appear to have achieved both as Wednesday’s two botched bombings in Riyadh and the subsequent raid on a terrorist hide-out show. The terrorist attempt to storm the Interior Ministry was clearly foiled by alert guards and maybe also thanks to foreknowledge of the killers’ plans. Equally, the attempted ramming of a car into a security force center was also frustrated. The fact that the terrorists decided to attack under cover of darkness, when they might have hoped that the security forces would be on a lower state of alert, demonstrates how much harder it is becoming for the men of violence to operate in the Kingdom.
Since Al-Qaeda’s thugs began their crimes in Saudi Arabia in May 2003, the security forces have been faced with an extremely steep learning curve. The early successes of the terrorists stemmed from the innocence of Saudi society and the lack of training and experience to cope with ruthless terrorists. In 18 months the change has been dramatic. The authorities have learned many important lessons about confronting the menace before them. By sticking to methodical responses to each new outrage and by analyzing every new attack not just for fresh evidence but for a better comprehension of the way the killers operate, the security forces have been able to tailor their responses to a far-better-understood challenge.
Of key importance of course has been intelligence. In this respect all decent people have become extra eyes and ears for the authorities. Unusual behavior by strangers in a neighborhood is clearly being reported to the police. In addition it is obvious that a number of suspected sympathizers are being watched carefully. Even when suspects show clear terrorist links, it is very likely that the authorities have held back from arrests, preferring to wait and see who else was involved in a cell. The police raid on a house in the capital shortly after Wednesday night’s attacks, was very probably the end of a long undercover operation. The death of the seven suspects in that raid came on top of the killing in Riyadh of two other suspected militants in as many days.
There can be little doubt that the terrorists are rattled. Their ranks depleted and many of their secrets betrayed by those who took advantage of the amnesty earlier this year, they have clearly been forced to restructure their cells. But the threat has not receded. As long as one deluded lunatic with some plastic explosive and a fuse is at liberty, there will still be a danger. Nevertheless, the security forces seem to be gaining the upper hand, not least because of the support of ordinary citizens who want the canker of terrorism cut completely from the Kingdom.
