RIYADH, 10 August 2005 — Five Libyans detained for involvement in a plot to assassinate King Abdullah have been released after receiving amnesty from the Kingdom’s new sovereign, an Interior Ministry spokesman said yesterday.
“Five Libyans have been released, and the necessary arrangements are now being made to deport them,” the AFP news agency quoted spokesman Gen. Mansour Al-Turki as saying. He said they included two “security officers.”
A security source identified the two officers as Abdul Fattah Al-Ghosh, who was arrested in Makkah in November 2003, and Col. Mohammed Ismael, who fled to Cairo before being handed back by Egyptian authorities.
An official statement said Monday that King Abdullah pardoned a group of Libyans accused of plotting to assassinate him in 2003.
According to sources, Ghosh was arrested in Makkah on Nov. 27, 2003 while in the process of handing to four Saudis $1 million to assassinate Abdullah, who was then the crown prince.
A number of Saudis remain detained in connection with the case, which prompted Riyadh to expel Tripoli’s ambassador and recall its envoy from Libya, which has denied involvement in any conspiracy to kill Abdullah.
Guantanamo Prisoners
Saudi authorities yesterday released five Saudi prisoners, who had earlier been detained in the US base of Guantanamo, after taking necessary legal measures, Gen. Al-Turki told the SPA.
