JEDDAH/RIYADH, 7 March 2007 — Two Saudi men suspected of involvement in the Feb. 26 cold-blooded murder of four French nationals 90 km north of Madinah have been given an ultimatum by the Interior Ministry: Turn yourselves in by 8 a.m. today, or else.
“If they fail to do so they will be declared wanted men,” said Mansour Al-Turki, Interior Ministry spokesman.
Although the connection of Abdullah Sayer Muawad Al-Muhammadi and Nasser Latef Al-Balawi to the crime is unclear, the government is offering a SR7 million ($1.9 million) reward for information leading to their capture.
Commenting on the announcement, Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed told Arab News that the publishing of the names “gives these men an opportunity to come forward and surrender to Saudi security forces.”
“We will continue to hunt them down until they are caught,” he added.
The Interior Ministry also announced the arrest of an undisclosed number of suspects in connection with the crime.
The ministry did not want to divulge details about where or when the suspects were arrested because the investigation is ongoing.
“We have enough evidence to believe that the suspects might have been involved in the crime, but we will interrogate them before announcing their names to find out who was involved directly and who wasn’t,” Al-Turki told Arab News. An Interior Ministry statement described the killings as “a horrific crime committed by criminals who violated Islamic law and abandoned their Arabian values when they backstabbed innocent people who were under the protection of the government.” The ministry also said that residents of the areas where the suspects were apprehended helped authorities in the search.
When asked if the crime is being treated as an act of terrorism or whether it is considered a hate crime against foreigners, Al-Turki said: “It’s too early to draw any conclusions (about the motives for the crime) as many terror suspects are still at large.”
Meanwhile, more details have been revealed about the crime. A statement by the ministry said the three families got lost about 90 km north of Madinah, south of the archaeological site of Madain Saleh, which is considered a major tourism asset by the government. They stopped for a break as they were driving down a small road searching for the main highway connecting Tabuk to Madinah. According to testimonies by the five survivors, two men in a green Nissan Safari picked out the men and the 17-year-old boy, Mubarak, from the group and shot them.
The US Embassy issued a new warden’s message yesterday, specifically warning embassy personnel from traveling to the region.
— Additional input from Raid Qusti
