Director of the Iraqi Terrorism and Crimes Department Maj. Gen. Dhia Sahi told the newspaper Al-Harbi had served six years in an Iraqi prison for illegally entering the country and had only been released a year ago.

Al-Harbi’s father, who lives in Hafr Al-Batin, said he had recently received information about his son’s arrest.

The father said Al-Harbi left home in Shawwal 1425 AH when he was only 19. “He told us then that he was going out with his friends for a hunting trip near the Iraqi border, but we soon received news that he was arrested and jailed in Iraq,” he said.

The father said Al-Harbi, who did not have any education beyond his intermediate schooling, did not reveal his true intentions to them.