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| Arabia | ||
| Saudi Militant Surrenders on Iran-Afghan Border | ||
| 2004-07-13 | ||
A suspected Saudi al Qaeda militant has flown back to Saudi Arabia from the Iranian-Afghan border region to surrender under a government amnesty, state television said on Tuesday. It said Khaled al-Harbi, also known as Abu Suleiman al-Makki, gave himself up at the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Television showed a wheelchair-bound Harbi being carried off a plane on arrival in the kingdom.
More from News24: A disabled wanted Saudi militant and suspected al-Qaeda leader has turned himself in to authorities under a royal amnesty, the interior ministry announced on Tuesday. "The wanted Saudi Khaled bin Odeh bin Mohammed al-Harbi, alias Abu Suleiman al-Makki, who had been in the Iranian-Afghan border region, contacted the (Saudi) embassy in Iran", state television reported, quoting an interior ministry official. Harbi said he wanted to take up the amnesty offer and was flown to Saudi Arabia after an identity check, the official said. "Since he is paralysed, he will be transferred directly to hospital to receive medical treatment," he said. State TV showed Harbi being carried down a plane and put on a wheelchair. He was accompanied by a woman and a teenager. He is only the third militant to surrender since the one-month amnesty was offered on June 23, but does not figure on a most-wanted list of suspected Islamist militants. More from BBC: According to some reports the paralysed sheikh had appeared in one of Osama Bin Laden's video tapes praising the 11 September attacks in the US. The December 2001 videotape - thought to have been filmed in the Afghan city of Kandahar - was taken by the Bush administration as proof that Bin Laden masterminded the 11 September attacks. Saudi diplomats arranged travel documents for Mr Harbi after he turned himself in at the Saudi embassy in Tehran, the interior ministry said. "Thank God, Thank God... I called the embassy and we were very well received," he told Saudi TV at the airport terminal. "I have come obeying God, and obeying the rulers." He described the amnesty as "generous" and urged others to take advantage of it. Past reports have identified him as Bin Laden's interlocutor in the Kandahar videotape, saying he was married to the daughter of al-Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahri.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #17 Think of Saudi Arabia as a sink trap for Jihadis. Just like the RB sink trap is for trolls. It is a concentrator, a rather large concentrator, to be sure. The jihadis must realize that they will be relatively safe in the Magic Kingdom, but they dare not wander out of their secure sinktrap. Patience, folks. We will just have to keep track of them for a day of reckoning at a later date. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-07-13 9:30:55 PM |
| #16 The Soddies will attach the tracking device to his wheelchair...then he'll swap wheelchairs and roll off into the sunset... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2004-07-13 9:21:12 PM |
| #15 Mark - I heard the same...from different sources |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-07-13 8:19:52 PM |
| #14 About 7 months ago a FOX reporter clearly stated Osama and top al-Qa'ida commanders were also lurking in Iran, of course under the protection of the mullahs...of course. |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-07-13 8:01:37 PM |
| #13 DPA - But that's the word of Al Turki... Al Harbi will be a pet, I'd bet, a useful tool at Nayef's direction. The cannon fodder, no matter what was promised, will get whatever treatment Nayef decides - and that will depend upon their pliability / cooperation quotient. It's not like the Int'l Red Thingy will be watching or anything. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-13 5:28:54 PM |
| #12 Btw, I just watched an interview with the Saudi ambassador to Britain speak on this topic. According to him all the amnesty promises is that they won't be executed. But they will be imprisoned and interrogated and depending on how helpful they are they will be judged. Also he said that when this guy and the 2 other terrorists gave themselves up they said they were living like bums, sometimes in caves, had lost everything and were reduced to eating refuse. Doesn't sound like morale is very high for the jihadis. |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-07-13 5:24:25 PM |
| #11 It's my assumption that he was offered amnesty by Saudi Arabia for the crimes he was wanted for by Saudi Arabia. Obviously they can't give him amnesty for crimes he commited against other countries, like the US. I'm not sure what to make of this whole thing... |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-07-13 4:32:34 PM |
| #10 Must be hard to run from the 101st Airborne when you're in a wheelchair in the Kandahar. Has this Islamogimp always been paralyzed, or did he have an oopsie in Afghanistan recently? |
| Posted by: Captain Pedantic 2004-07-13 3:53:10 PM |
| #9 Maybe he came back to Saudi to take over as Senior Homeland al-Qaeda Director. You know, smooth over those misunderstanding about over throwing the Royal family, set the young lads straight about killing the goose that hands over the golden eggs. As one of Binny's closest aides, they might listen. Perhaps the Royals asked him to come home, amnesty gives them cover in case anyone got a look at him and started asking questions. Now he's just a tired old cripple in hospital, nothing to see, move along. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-07-13 3:40:05 PM |
| #8 pardon, but somethings fishy here. I had assumed the amnesty was for AQs at large IN Saudi Arabia. Does Saudi even have the RIGHT to amnesty someone whos been living, presumably, on the run in AFGHANISTAN, and against whom the AFGHAN govt undoubtedly has charges? Shouldnt Hamid Karzai have some say in this?? That plus the fact that he surrendered in Teheran makes me think theres something else going on here. Frankly this smells alot more than the case of the Lebanese-American Marine. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-07-13 3:23:23 PM |
| #7 You gotta think that amnesty entails them giving up all the info they know on al queda etc. as well as remaining under some type of house arrest... does anyone know the details? |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-07-13 3:20:21 PM |
| #6 This is bullcrap. If the Saud's don't give him up there should be serious consquences for their "Charity" funds here in the states, Diplomatic immunity revoked, and anything else the get here as a luxury. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-07-13 3:05:04 PM |
| #5 Ok I know he was offered amnesty and all but they must be under some serious pressure to take up the offer... I wonder what this amnesty entails... |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-07-13 2:55:18 PM |
| #4 He was in the video along with Suleiman Abu Ghaith and Sheikh al-Ghamdi when Binny was gloating over the 9/11 attacks. I would also take note of the fact that he is now in all likelihood a free man in the Magic Kingdom. That he was picked up in Iran should tell you something about where the higher-ups are hanging out these days ... |
| Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-07-13 2:39:54 PM |
| #3 Yeah, Capt A, that's what DEBKA sez: Senior bin Laden associate Abu Suleiman al-Makki has turned himself into Saudi authorities under month-long royal amnesty offered June 23. Al-Makki - disabled sheik who appeared in videotape with al Qaeda leader found in Afghanistan - contacted Saudi embassy in Tehran from hideout on Iran-Afghan border. Now that the Saudis have given him amnesty, any chance we can question him about.........silly me. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-07-13 1:55:40 PM |
| #2 Good pick up, trailing wife, this is the dirt ball that was featured with bin Laden in the gleeful, boostful video over 9/11. |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-07-13 1:47:57 PM |
| #1 Erm....I know geography is one of my weak points, but isn't Tehran somewhere in the middle of the country? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-07-13 11:10:26 AM |