JEDDAH, 27 August 2004 — Saudi border guards have arrested a number of Saudis as well as other Arab nationals who were trying to cross into Iraq, according to an Interior Ministry official.
The would-be infiltrators were arrested in the border region of Hafr Al-Batin, Al-Yaum newspaper quoted the ministry’s security spokesman Brig. Mansur Al-Turki as saying.
An investigation into is under way into the incident, he added.
Turki ruled out any connection between these people and the list of those wanted for security-related matters, Al-Yaum said.
Washington and some Iraqi officials have maintained that foreign fighters, including Saudis, have been infiltrating Iraq to take part in attacks on US-led multinational forces and Iraqis working with them.
Turki also confirmed that a Yemeni national arrested by Saudi authorities has been handed over to Yemen in line with a security agreement signed between the two countries.
Anti-terror efforts by Saudi authorities have been stepped up in recent months following a spate of terror attacks in the Kingdom believed to have been orchestrated by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and aimed mostly at Westerners.
