The national and global consensus condemning the terrorist attacks against worshippers in Al-Qudaih (May 22) and Dammam (May 29) demonstrated that the perpetrators are part of only a small but deadly gang of outcasts. They appear to have received their instructions from the self-ascribed Islamic State (IS) or Daesh — a terrorist organization living outside history, morality and the value system to which the overwhelming majority of Saudis subscribe.
The speed with which security forces identified the perpetrators and their affiliation was very impressive. The next step is to move swiftly and decisively to round up the rest, to defeat this grotesque outfit within Saudi Arabia and root out its means of logistical, ideological and financial support.
The attack on Imam Ali mosque in Al-Qudaih killed 22 worshippers and injured around 100. According to official statements, the perpetrator was wanted for his affiliation with a Daesh cell in the Kingdom. The terrorist cell was uncovered during May 2015. Twenty-six of its members, all Saudis, were already in custody.
Before Al-Qudaih attack, the cell had targeted security forces. On May 8, 2015, five of its members attacked a security detail in charge of guarding the Strategic Reserve installations south of Riyadh, killing one soldier. According to official statements, the five admitted to killing the soldier and setting his body on fire. A large cache of weapons was captured, in addition to ingredients for making explosives, bomb-making instruction manuals and copies of religious edicts justifying terrorism.
The statement listed names of the 26 cell members, explaining their roles in spreading Daesh propaganda and recruiting new members, especially among the youth, fundraising, monitoring security forces movements and vital locations, as well as harboring fugitives, including the perpetrator of Al-Qudaih massacre.
Especially troubling is the fact that cell members included teenagers — one 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds.
From these bits of information one could untangle the explosive mixture utilized by Daesh in its attempts to sow the seeds of sectarian strife in Saudi Arabia: Edicts (fatwas) from false “scholars,” and the clever use of social media to raise funds and recruit followers, especially the young, and train them on the use of weapons and explosives, locally made or smuggled in.
To combat Daesh within Saudi Arabia, it is critical that we deal with each one of those factors, along these parallel tracks:
First, sectarian hate speech should be outlawed, from whatever source, and stiff penalties should be imposed on those trying to create strife. During times of war, it is critically important to safeguard the home front from extremist discourse.
Second, social media, being the favorite source of information and guidance for the youth, should be closely monitored for violations of the new law.
Third, proactive use of all media, especially social media, should be intensified, with the help of right-minded young people, to bolster national unity and immunize the young against violent extremism and sectarian hatred.
Fourth, greater resources should be directed to security, focused on interrupting recruitment, smuggling, and terrorist training.
Fifth, as regional and international action still lags behind domestic action against terrorism, it is important to bolster cross-border cooperation. We notice that terrorist funding and other forms of support are not in one direction but follow a two-way pattern, between the “mother” organization in Iraq and Syria and its affiliates elsewhere. As much of the support that Saudi Daesh followers get comes from abroad, it is important to take the fight there as well. Regional work has been extremely frustrating because Daesh has flourished the most in weak or failed states (e.g., Iraq and Syria), hence the need for coordinated international action.
The international coalition against Daesh, with over 60 member countries, has yet to produce tangible results, other than slowing down its lightning march toward Baghdad. The coalition is still needed to degrade the group’s military capabilities, but more coordination is still needed to share intelligence, stop the flow of fighters, interdict the smuggling of weapons and explosives, as well as interrupt their funding, from and to turmoil-ridden countries.
Until Daesh is defeated abroad, it will remain a threat within Saudi Arabia. Security forces have succeeded in uncovering and apprehending numerous terrorist cells and foiling countless plots. However, a small number of them materialized, the most painful of which has been the slaughter of worshippers in Al-Qudaih by a lone suicide attacker. Their recent crimes are painful reminders that the international coalition’s military action alone in Iraq and Syria is not enough to root out its supporters and operatives from within.
