Saudi Arabia: illegal activities behind recent explosions in the Kingdom
Saudi Arabia, Local, 5/18/2001

The Saudi deputy minister of the Interior prince Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz has announced that settling disputes between persons involved in illegal activities in Saudi Arabia were behind the series of explosions that targeted foreign residents in the Kingdom.

In an interview with the Saudi daily Okaz issued on Thursday, prince Ahmad added:" the reasons are known as well as the persons responsible for that are known for the Saudi authorities." He added that the " crimes have no political relevance, the whole matter is that to reconsidering calculations between persons who are linked to illegal activities."

The statements of the Saudi official came to confirm the reports of Saudi dailies which linked between certain explosions and illegal activities like " alcohol, drinks trafficking."

The US doctor Gary Hatch was the last victims of the attack that took place this month as he was wounded when he opened a booby-trapped letter in his office at a medical center in al-Khubar city. One Egyptian and one British were wounded slightly in an explosion that took place in al-Riyadh on March 15 after 5 months of the two explosions in the same capital resulted in killing another British and wounding of several westerners. One Scottish lost the sight of one of his two eyes in another explosion in al-Khubar took place in December 2000.

Through the Saudi TV, a British, a Canadian and a Belgian admitted in February to be involved in al-Riyadh explosions of the year 2000. They said they were carrying out orders that they gave no information about its source nor reason.

On the other hand, prince Ahmad denied that the security agreement signed recently between his country and Iran to have any negative impact on the security arrangements between Saudi Arabia and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially the United Arab Emirates, which Iran occupies its three islands of Tanb the great, Tanb the small and Abu Mousa.

Previous Stories:
  High-jacked Syrian ship anchored at Jazan's port in Saudi Arabia   (5/7/2001)
  A bomb at the Jordanian embassy in al-Riyadh   (4/19/2001)
  Russia requests high-jackers from Saudi Arabia   (4/11/2001)

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