DAMMAM, 24 May 2008 — Interior Minister Prince Naif said the trial of terror suspects under custody would take place soon after the completion of the related procedures.
“The counseling of the suspects is still continuing,” Prince Naif said, referring to the ministry’s efforts to reeducate terror suspects influenced by extremist ideologies. Prince Naif was speaking to reporters following a graduation ceremony at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Thursday night.
Referring to a recent security agreement with the United States, Prince Naif said it was on providing the Kingdom with the latest technology in defending oil installations.
The government announced on an earlier occasion its plan to deploy 35,000 well-trained officers to protect vital installations across the country, including oil refineries. The first group of 1,554 officers who were attending special training courses graduated in March.
Saudi security forces have arrested 56 suspects of different nationalities for allegedly planning to attack various sites outside the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah during the Haj season last December.
The men were reportedly in the process of rebuilding an Al-Qaeda network in the Kingdom to launch another wave of terror attacks across the country. In February 2006, the authorities foiled terrorist attacks targeting oil installations in Abqaiq.
At Thursday’s ceremony, 1,246 students received their bachelor’s degrees and 153 their master’s in various disciplines. Six students were awarded doctorates.
Inaugurating the graduation ceremony, Prince Naif said education had a vital role in reinforcing its integrity and preserving its potentials and resources.
The minister stressed the importance of education by saying: “A nation armed with education is powerful in all respects. Knowledge is the yardstick of a nation’s progress while its absence reflects backwardness of a people. Ignorance will only lead to weakness and humiliation because no country can counter the challenges that threaten its safety and stability and even its existence.”
The prince said that the distinctive feature of the Saudi developmental experiment is that it is supported by religious and cultural values. “These values enable it stand firm against unfavorable circumstances and overcome all challenges,” he said.
Prince Naif said that the development of the Saudi citizen has been the focus of Kingdom’s developmental projects and that was why thousands of schools, colleges and universities were established across the Kingdom. The curriculum of the educational institutions must suit the present and future market requirements, he said.
The prince summed up the goal of the Saudi education system as guaranteeing each citizen a job that suits his merit while fulfilling the developmental requirements of the country, pushing forward the nation to greater progress.
