JEDDAH, 2 April 2006 — Saudi Arabia will soon set up a special court to try Al-Qaeda militants held for their involvement in terrorist attacks across the country, Interior Minister Prince Naif said.
“It can be called state security court,” Prince Naif said in reports published by the Arabic press yesterday. The court would be set up in coordination with the Justice Ministry to ensure a fair trial, he added.
The minister said the Kingdom’s security forces had foiled about 90 percent of attacks planned by Al-Qaeda terrorists.
Last week, police arrested 40 suspected militants and seized an arms cache. Eight of those arrested were linked to Al-Qaeda attack on the oil processing plant in Abqaiq in February.
He said Saudi and Iraqi authorities were cooperating on the extradition of Saudi militants crossing into Iraq. “(They are used) as explosive devices or suicide bombers,” he said about the Saudi fighters in Iraq. Some 3,000 Saudis have reportedly sneaked through the porous borders to fight the US-led forces in Iraq.
The Kingdom has been battling Al-Qaeda terrorists for the past three years. Officials say about 144 foreigners and Saudis, including security forces, and 120 terrorists have died in attacks and clashes with police since May 2003.
“We are glad when we capture alive someone who’s wanted by the security (authorities) because of the possibility that he could be rehabilitated and the possibility of obtaining information that could be useful to security and perhaps leads us to capturing other members of the misled group or reveal terrorist plots,” he said.
Prince Naif warned those who support and sympathize with Al-Qaeda terrorists. “All those who try to mislead youth or push them into committing acts that are in no way connected to Islam would be liable to a legal penalty,” he added.
Prince Naif called for joint international efforts to combat terror. “The danger of terrorism will remain as long as there are foreign parties that feed them, exploiting the weak-minded people,” he said.
The minister said the Kingdom’s security forces would continue their campaign to flush out terrorists and their supporters from the country. “We have arrested recently some people who have been supporting terrorists and collecting money for them,” he added.
