JEDDAH, 4 August 2005 — The Kingdom faced difficult times as terrorist groups aligned to the Al-Qaeda organization struck the people and the infrastructure of the Kingdom a number of times during King Abdullah’s tenure as the crown prince.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah faced those attacks with fortitude and launched a massive crackdown on the group in response. It resulted in the breaking-up of many terror cells.
“We are currently in a war with terror and with anyone who backs it or justifies it,” said the king in one of his most famous speeches outlining his anti-terror strategy made during the Kingdom’s first-ever conference on counterterrorism held in Riyadh on Feb. 5.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to suffer from terrorism. We warned against it and fought it with all our might on the domestic, regional and international levels,” he said.
On May 7, 2003, the Ministry of the Interior released a list of 19 top terrorists saying that they belonged to Al-Qaeda and were wanted by the government for plotting a major terrorist attack in the Kingdom.
Five days later, on May 12, terrorists targeted three Western compounds in the capital. Thirty-two people were killed when the attackers blew up cars in the triple suicide bombings.
By the end of 2003, the ministry released a second list of 26 top terrorists; the majority of them were Saudis.
On June 23, 2004, the government offered a one-month long amnesty to Al-Qaeda-linked extremists to turn themselves in. A number of prominent religious scholars took part in the attempt to talk the extremists out of their militant ideology.
A month later Abdullah warned that suspected extremists who had failed to surrender under a royal amnesty would be “annihilated.” He confirmed the new tough policy after granting the wanted suspects enough time to think about their wrongdoing; this was highly appreciated by religious scholars and the Saudi people.
“We had given the deviant group a month in the name of the king and the people,” said the former crown prince to local dignitaries who came to visit him at his palace in Jeddah on July 31, 2004.
“Unfortunately, (just a few) turned themselves in, while others remained (at large) and, God willing, will be annihilated,” he said.
Sheikh Abdul Mohsin Al-Obaikan, a member of the senior Islamic scholars’ council, said that following the amnesty the wanted men who accepted the royal amnesty and had surrendered to authorities voluntarily were today leading normal lives with their families.
On June 28, 2005, the government issued a new list of 36 suspects and promised financial rewards of up to SR7 million for those giving information leading to the arrest of the militants or help in preventing terrorist attacks.
“We will continue with our campaign to wipe out the deviant group (Al-Qaeda) and exterminate the roots of terrorism and terrorists who target the nation’s security and safety,” said King Abdullah, speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting one day after Saudi security forces killed the leader of the Al-Qaeda terror network in the Kingdom (one of the 36 wanted terror suspects).
The leader, Moroccan Younus Muhammad Al-Hayari, was shot dead during a fierce gun battle in an eastern Riyadh neighborhood on July 3, 2005.
During the counterterrorism conference, Abdullah also emphasized the need for combating arms smuggling, drug smuggling and money laundering to make the war on terrorism successful.
“It would be difficult for us to prevail in our war on terror if it does not include a decisive confrontation with these three criminal networks,” he said told the delegates at the conference.
He announced the formation of an international center to counter terrorism. Abdullah said the proposed center would, “exchange and pass information instantly in a manner compatible with the speed of events and prevent them (terror attacks) before they occur.”
He warned that the global war on terror would be “bitter and protracted,” but he said he was confident that “peace-loving forces” would ultimately prevail.
He added: “The Prophet of Islam is the Prophet of mercy and Islam is the religion of mercy. Mercy and terrorism cannot coexist in one mind or in one house. We need to learn from your experiences in the field. And there is no doubt that our joint experiences will assist us all, God willing, in our fight against terror.”
King Abdullah also stated that Saudi Arabia would not be shaken by the smear campaigns of its detractors.
“The Kingdom will remain strong and victorious by the grace of God and as a result of the unity and cohesion of its people,” he said addressing Saudi and foreign dignitaries at the last Janadriya Festival.
Abdullah called upon Muslim scholars and intellectuals to play their role in strengthening Arab and Islamic unity. He noted Saudi Arabia’s efforts in forging unity and solidarity among Arab and Islamic countries over the past years.
“You might have heard about the allegations and accusations leveled against the Kingdom. But, by the grace of God, the Saudi people will not be shaken by such campaigns,” Abdullah told the gathering. He said the enemies would be defeated by the willpower of the Saudi people.
Analysts believe King Abdullah’s firm resolve to tackle terrorism has earned him great respect.
According to Mushari Al-Thadi, a Saudi political analyst, “King Abdullah’s role in fighting terrorism has already been set, he has been the maestro of the anti-terrorism campaign; leading the Kingdom’s successful anti-terrorism campaign for the last few years, that is clear from his speeches and his political activities and will continue now as king.”
Fares ibn Huzam, an expert on the Al-Qaeda network, said that acts of terror in the Kingdom have been dealt with not only in this era but also in the past. He gave as an example the Shuhaman incident during the late King Khaled’s era. King Abdullah, he said, took the time in most events — for example in meetings with citizens — to pass clear strong statements to terrorists that the Kingdom will fight-off terrorism and succeed.
The people of the Kingdom have appreciated King Abdullah’s uncompromising stance. He has also showed a fatherly side in most of his speeches to take in consideration those who are willing to surrender to authorities; in particular the royal amnesty.
During his broadcast statements, he made promises to whoever voluntarily surrendered and characteristically has kept his word. Those who surrendered are currently living normal lives.
