An official Saudi source at the Ministry of Defense and Aviation on Tuesday denied a recent Israeli media report claiming Saudi Arabia had foiled an air suicide mission planned to be carried out by a Saudi pilot against an Israeli target. According to the report, Israel’s OC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Dan Halutz warned that "concrete intelligence information" suggested that Al Qaeda attempted to recruit pilots in order to attack Israel using airplanes. The report further said Saudi authorities foiled one such attempt. According to the Israeli report, the pilot, who was planning to launch the suicide attack against Israel under directives of Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network, had been arrested. The Saudi Press Agency, however, citing the official source, said, "The report is entirely fabricated and false."
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