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| Arabia | |
| 3 Linked to Saudi Blast Arrested | |
| 2003-12-31 | |
| EFL: Saudi security authorities have arrested three men in connection with an explosion that targeted a senior security official. The Okaz daily, quoting an unnamed security official, said three men were picked up shortly after Monday’s attack. The car was empty when it exploded in Riyadh’s eastern Al-Salaam district and nobody was hurt by the blast. We heard about this, a pretty lame attack. Police stopped a white Toyota Tercel after a witness described a similar car leaving the site of the explosion soon after it took place. The car is believed to be rented, security sources told Okaz. The sources could not confirm whether the men were involved in the incident. But they’ll do for now. A Western diplomat said the attack was against a senior member of the Interior Ministry’s Mabahith branch, the Saudi equivalent of the FBI. Okaz quoted the official as saying the targeting of police officers "will not stop security from working to root out terror cells." He said the incident "carried the fingerprints of extremist thought," the newspaper said. Or maybe it’s just you they don’t like.
Tossed a small bomb at a empty car? Doesn’t sound like a al-Qaeda operation, no bodies. A Western diplomat suggested Monday’s attack — and a similar strike on a top security officer earlier this month — appeared to be a change of tactic by Islamic militants, who usually target foreigners in Saudi Arabia. The new target appears to be senior members of the Saudi security services. The target this time was a empty car. Either something went wrong, or it was just harassment. Piss off your neighbor? Oh well, in other news: On Tuesday, terror suspect Mansour Mohammed Ahmed Faqih turned himself in to Saudi authorities. Faqih was 14th on an official list of 26 wanted terror suspects. Faqih, 22, went into hiding shortly after his 18-year-old brother Hassan Faqih was arrested in connection with suicide attacks on May 12, according to biographical details published in the government-guided newspapers. Another family affair. | |
| Posted by:Steve |