JEDDAH: Three suspected Al-Qaeda-affiliated Saudi militants turned themselves in after their families convinced them to return to the Kingdom, the Interior Ministry announced yesterday.
According to a statement by the ministry carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the three were recruited to join the “deviant group” — a phrase used by authorities when referring to Al-Qaeda affiliated groups in the Kingdom and abroad. The ministry did not specify which country the three were in.
“They will be dealt with according to procedure. Their initiative to surrender themselves and their families’ roles will be taken into consideration,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour Al-Turki. “The three are currently being investigated,” said Al-Turki. “We depend on the power of families to convince their sons to return to the right path.”
Al-Turki went on to say that families had proven to be very effective in convincing members to surrender. “Thanks to the efforts of their families, the three agreed to turn themselves in.” The families of the three were given visitation rights.
The ministry did not release the identities of the three, but Al-Turki said they were not on a government list of 85 wanted men issued in February. The list carried the names of 83 Saudis and two Yemenis wanted for their alleged links to Al-Qaeda.
The government believes the wanted militants are outside the Kingdom. Reports attributed to top security officials and confessions by former Al-Qaeda operatives indicate that most of the militants are in Yemen. According to reports, Al-Qaeda is believed to have set up its Arabian Peninsula headquarters in Yemen.
In recent years, Yemen and Saudi Arabia have swapped dozens of suspects under a security agreement signed by the two countries in 2004. In February, Yemen extradited Abdulrahman Al-Aufi to the Kingdom after he turned himself in to Yemeni authorities.
