RIYADH, 19 April 2004 — Saeed ibn Zuair has been arrested for remarks he made on Al-Jazeera TV channel, the Ministry of Interior said yesterday.
The Saudi Press Agency quoted the ministry as saying Zuair had been arrested after appearing on a program on Thursday “for what he said” on the broadcast.
The statement said Zuair “supported the terrorist acts in Riyadh which targeted Muslims and non-Muslims who are residents in this sacred country, saying that the terrorist acts perpetrated by certain devious people were directed toward non-Muslims, and also saying it was permissible for those people to shed Muslim blood.”
The arrest was “due to his sympathy and his clear support for terrorist acts and justification of them and those who perpetrated them”.
Since it was “against Islamic teaching to justify the killings of innocent people who are citizens of this country and others... he has been apprehended for interrogation and further investigation by the Commission for Investigation and Grievances.”
Zuair would be transferred to a Shariah court and dealt with accordingly, the ministry added.
Zuair was earlier jailed for eight and a half years on charges of calling for reform in the Kingdom.
He was released 14 months ago, according to Al-Jazeera television, where he made the offending statements.
Abdul Ilah, Zuair’s son, said the authorities arrested his father in the early hours of Saturday. “Apparently, he was arrested after participating in Al-Jazeera’s special coverage of an Osama Bin Laden audiotape aired on the television channel last Thursday,” he told the channel.
He said he had been unable to contact his father but authorities told him Zuair had been taken to prison.
