Al-Watan: Saudi Arabia announces arresting 7 youths for al-Qaida links
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 2/26/2003

Saudi Arabia's minister of interior prince Nayaf Bin Abdul Aziz has announced that the Saudi authorities had arrested 7 Saudi youths suspected to be members in al-Qaida organization.

The Saudi daily al-Watan quoted Nayef as saying that the Saudi youths were detained since several days in Mecca over suspicion of affiliating with al-Qaida organization. The minister added that the police found with them small weapons.

However, diplomats said that the Saudi authorities have intensified detention acts and reinforced security measures in the last few weeks because of the Iraqi crisis.

The minister indicated that the seven youths are "secondary school students who have peculiar thinking" and that "investigations continue to know more details about their attitude and affiliation." Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia announced it will bring 90 of its citizens for trial on charges of being members at al-Qaida organization, in an unprecedented measure in trying persons suspected to be members in this organization in the Kingdom.

Other 250 persons have been interrogated in similar accusations. Just last week, one Saudi was arrested on charge of killing one British contractor, working for the ministry of defense.

Meantime, the Saudi ambassador in al-Rabat Abdul Aziz Khouja said that Saudi Arabia will ask the Moroccan government to hand over three Saudis sentenced for 10 year imprisonment in Morocco over being convicted for preparing to terrorist acts "in their being Saudi citizens and according to Arab security agreements that organize such issues." The criminal court in Casablanca sentenced on Friday for ten- year imprisonment three Saudis who were accused of being affiliate to one cell in al-Qaida organization and of preparing for terrorist attacks in Morocco.

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