JEDDAH, 8 April 2007 — Interior Minister Prince Naif has said that militants in Saudi Arabia receive foreign assistance and urged Islamic scholars, intellectuals and the general public to play their roles in the ongoing campaign to root out terrorism from the country.
“These people are receiving support, especially from abroad in addition to support from inside, in terms of finance and religious rulings,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister as saying.
Prince Naif urged Islamic scholars, intellectuals and the media to launch a concerted campaign against militants by unveiling their crimes against humanity. “Although we have had successes on the security side, we have to do more to stop terrorist ideology,” he added. He warned that terrorist activities in the country would continue in the absence of cooperation from all members of society.
He revealed that Shariah courts had tried some militants who had been involved in terrorist activities inside the Kingdom during the past three years. “We assign experienced full-time judges to try militants and give them the punishment they deserve,” he added. “We want to complete investigations before transferring the detainees to court.” Security agents seek to catch militants and wanted criminals without killing them in order to extract valuable information from them.
The minister emphasized the need for drying up the militants’ financial sources, adding that it was essential to stop terrorism. “This cannot be done with the efforts of security officers alone but needs the participation of everybody,” the prince added.
He called for international cooperation to root out the centers of terrorism. Prince Naif commended the Kingdom’s security cooperation with Iran. “We are determined to improve this cooperation further. We have information that there are some wanted Saudis in Iran and we request our brothers in Iran to hand them over to us,” he added.
Yemen yesterday extradited 18 Saudi detainees who were wanted in different cases within the framework of security cooperation between the two countries, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
In interviews to two local newspapers, Prince Naif disclosed the government’s plan to adopt tougher measures against foreigners who overstay their Umrah, Haj and visit visas. “We want to stop this practice by imposing tough punishments on them as well as on those who provide them with accommodation, jobs and transport,” he explained.
The interior minister said Saudi Arabia needed foreign manpower to carry out new economic, industrial and construction projects. “If we stop foreign manpower totally, it will lead to a flight of capital to other countries.” He emphasized the need for more efforts to train and employ the growing number of young Saudi graduates. He said the Manpower Development Fund would pay 50 percent of salaries of newly recruited Saudi workers in private firms for two years. The fund will also finance training centers.
Naif commended the bravery displayed by security forces in tracking down terrorists. “The killing of a most wanted terrorist on Friday in Madinah happened not by chance but because of continuous efforts by security forces,” he pointed out.
Police killed Waleed ibn Mutlaq Al-Radadi, who was on a list of the 36 most-wanted terrorists published by the Interior Ministry in 2005, in a gunbattle Friday morning in Madinah’s Al-Oyoun District. “It was not the investigation into the killing of four Frenchmen that led to Al-Radadi. Our security agents were searching for him long before that incident on Feb. 26,” he said.
Prince Naif also noted the efforts made by security forces in preventing a large number of terrorist operations in the country. “If 30 percent of those operations had taken place, what would have been their (destructive) impact on the country?” he asked, praising the ability of Saudi forces in defeating terrorists.
“We have to continue these efforts to cleanse the country of terrorists. At the same time, we call upon members of militant groups to return to the truth and surrender to authorities,” the prince said.
Prince Naif condemned the terrorist attack on the French tourists north of Madinah, saying it was a major crime.
The interior minister warned against providing refuge or finance to militants. “The hiding of Al-Radadi for so long shows that certain individuals or parties have been shielding him and providing him shelter. If not, how was he able to live and eat? It is unbelievable that nobody knew him,” he said, adding that suppressing information regarding terrorist acts was a crime against both the nation and Islam.
“We had been telling Al-Radadi and other militants to surrender and acknowledge their mistakes for the good of themselves and their families. But he did not listen and he got the punishment he deserved.” He said security forces would remove the virus that has affected militants like a doctor removes a tumor from a cancer patient.
Prince Naif said security forces would continue their campaign to track down all militants in the country. “We expect better cooperation from all members of society,” he said. The Interior Ministry has offered large rewards for those who provide information on militants and terrorist plans.
Asked about wanted militants hiding in other countries, Prince Naif said, “We hope that those countries will hand over wanted Saudis to the Kingdom.” He expected Iraqi forces would prevent terrorists from entering Saudi Arabia.
The interior minister disclosed plans to establish new prisons with better facilities, adding that they would be ready shortly. “We want the prisoners to live in a suitable place and in a suitable atmosphere.”
Referring to the issue of unauthorized investment companies floating shares, the prince said relevant ministries should enact laws to regularize such businesses in order to protect the rights of shareholders and others. “Nobody should be allowed to collect money from others in the name of a project, which may be imaginary, or nobody knows whether it will be successful or not.”
He criticized exaggerated press reports about young Saudi women running away from homes. “Such incidents are very rare in the Kingdom. We don’t object to reporting them but we object to exaggerated reporting giving the impression that it has become a social phenomenon,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, Prince Muhammad ibn Naif, assistant interior minister for security affairs, visited security officers, who were injured during the gunbattle with Al-Radadi, at King Fahd Hospital and Saudi German Hospital in Madinah. The prince commended the officers’ bravery and wished them quick recovery. He also visited the family of Capt. Dhafir ibn Abdullah Al-Nafeei, who was killed in the gunbattle, and conveyed the condolences of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Prince Naif.
