JEDDAH, 5 July — Moroccan authorities released the five Saudis arrested last month on charges of suspected terrorist links for lack of evidence. They were arrested in Nador, in eastern Morocco. The investigating officials could not find any evidence they were linked to suspected Al-Qaeda sleeping cell in the country, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported quoting a security source in Morocco.
Meanwhile, according to defense lawyer there was no evidence against Zuhair Al-Thubaity, one of the three Saudis arrested in May, that he was plotting terrorist acts.
Al-Thubaity is the mastermind of the Al-Qaeda cell, according to police. The public prosecutor charged that Al-Thubaity came to Morocco to carry out terrorist acts against foreign interests. He married a Moroccan to ensure smooth execution of his plans, the public prosecutor added.
The other two Saudis detained by the Moroccan authorities in May are Hilal Al-Assiri and Abdullah Ali Al-Ghamdi. Official sources said the men had planned to attack US and British ships in the Gibraltar Straits.
They were reported to have links with Moroccan extremists. A team from the Central Intelligence Agency visited Morocco to coordinate efforts with their Moroccan counterparts to monitor the movement of suspected Al-Qaeda members.
