RIYADH, 23 April 2007 — Interior Minister Prince Naif said here yesterday that there is a possibility that his ministry will announce a new list of most wanted terror suspects in the Kingdom. “There is a possibility of a new list being announced, without a definite time of the announcement,” he told reporters after attending a graduation ceremony of students at the Public Security Training City.
Saudi Arabia has won international acclaim for its successful handling of militants blamed for a series of terrorist attacks across the country over the past three years.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has reiterated that the government would continue its efforts to exterminate militants and terrorists from the country, no matter how long its takes or how much it costs.
The interior minister mentioned that the Kingdom and Italy were on the verge of signing a memorandum of understanding on security where both countries would cooperate in military training as well as in combating terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking. However, Prince Naif did not provide details as to when exactly the MOU would be signed.
Asked about the possibility of a US strike on Iran regarding its nuclear program and the implications it will have on the region, Naif hoped that the United States would not do such a thing.
“We certainly hope this would not happen. But we have taken it into consideration,” he said.
Naif said that there were indications the Iraqi government would improve its cooperation with the Kingdom and expedite deportation of wanted Saudi suspects held in Iraqi prisons. He did not say whether any prisoner had been exchanged between the two countries.
The interior minister said that the Kingdom was following up the cases of Saudi detainees held in the notorious US Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. He said discussions were still under way with the US government and that efforts would not cease “until every Saudi detainee has returned home.”
Commenting on the investigations on the murder of Col. Nasser Al-Othman last week in the Qasim region, Naif said the motive behind it had still not been established. “Investigations are ongoing,” he said, adding that only when they were over can the motive behind the killing be determined. He did not name any suspect in the case.
Naif also inaugurated the first security-technical exhibition in the capital yesterday. The exhibition is believed to be the largest in the Middle East with several national and international security firms participating.
