JEDDAH, 29 November 2004 — The Interior Ministry yesterday identified the slain terror suspect in Saturday’s gunbattle in Jeddah as a wanted terrorist who was one of the plotters of the Muhaya housing compound attack in Riyadh in November 2003, which killed 17 people and wounded more than 120, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
A ministry official said the slain man was Essam Siddiq Qassem Mubaraki, who “belonged to the deviant group and was linked to the symbols of dissent and corruption.”
Security forces killed Mubaraki in Jeddah’s Jamia district after he tried to throw a hand grenade at them. They also arrested another man suspected of involvement in the Muhaya attack. He was not identified.
The official said Mubaraki was also responsible for supplying explosives, forging documents and providing shelter to other terrorists. Mubaraki is not on the list of 26 most wanted terrorists issued by authorities in December last year.
Police found a cache of arms in Mubaraki’s car, including a revolver, two automatic weapons with 11 magazines, more than 400 bullets and three hand grenades.
Saudi Arabia has been fighting a wave of violence, which it blames on the Al-Qaeda network, routinely referred to as “the deviant group” by authorities, which has killed some 100 people and wounded hundreds since May 2003.
Last month, Belgian authorities revealed that three months ago they had arrested Hussein Muhamamad Al-Haski, one of the 26 most wanted terrorists.
Haski is one of the two Moroccans on the list of terrorists wanted for involvement in a series of terror attacks across the Kingdom. The other Moroccan on the list, Abdul Kareem Al-Majati, who was behind the Casablanca explosions, is still on the run and is believed to be outside Saudi Arabia.
According to a statement issued by a terrorist group, Haski had taken part in the hostage-taking and shooting drama that took place in Alkhobar in May this year. Four armed men killed 22 people and wounded 25 others at a residential complex in the eastern Saudi city.
With Haski’s arrest, only nine of the 26 are still unaccounted for; the others have been killed, surrendered or arrested. Those still on the run include Saleh Al-Aufi, the present commander of Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom, Abdullah Al-Rashoud and Sultan Al-Otaibi, two ideologues of the cell.
