JEDDAH, 23 August 2004 — Saudi Arabia has adopted strict security measures to protect its borders in view of the volatile situation in the region, Okaz daily quoted a security official as saying.
Brig. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said the measures were taken to boost security along the borders with Iraq and other neighboring countries, and to prevent infiltration of terrorists and suspects to Saudi territories.
Saudi Arabia has signed a security agreement with Yemen under which joint security patrols are staged round the clock along the borders to prevent any smuggling or infiltration operations.
The Kingdom has launched a major campaign to wipe out terrorism after militants linked with Al-Qaeda carried out a series of attacks since May 2003, killing 90 people and injuring over 200 others.
Meanwhile, police have arrested a Bahraini man on alleged links with Al-Qaeda network, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported quoting the suspect’s lawyer Abdullah Hashim.
Mohammed Khan, whose brother is already under arrest in Bahrain, was detained while trying to enter Saudi Arabia from Bahrain via King Fahd Causeway that links both countries, said Hashim.
Khan, who holds a British passport, works for a private company in the Eastern Province, DPA said.
Khan is the brother of Mohedinne Khan, one of the six suspects detained in Bahrain last month accused of links to Al-Qaeda and plotting terrorist attacks in the country.
