New York Times: Tripoli strongly denies that al-Qathafi ordered the assasination of the Saudi crown prince
Libya-Saudi Arabia, Politics, 6/11/2004

Libya strongly denied yesterday what was issued by a New York Times report on that two persons are detained in the US and Saudi Arabia over being suspected of involving in a conspiracy to assassinate the Saudi crown prince Abdullah, admitted that the Libyan leader Muammar al-Qathafi planed for this conspiracy in 2003.

The paper quoted persons in close contacts that the US, Saudi Arabia and Britain are currently investigating in a conspiracy to attack the procession of the Saudi crown prince. A high ranking official at the administration of the US President George W. Bush told the paper that the emerging of convincing evidences that al-Qathafi ordered or agreed to an assassination conspiracy or a campaign of terrorism will result in a complete change at 180 degree in the American policy towards Libya.

American officials said that the investigation in the assassination attempt is among the reasons which pushed the US to keep Libya on the list of the terrorism sponsored states.

Well-informed sources said that it seemed that statements of the suspects are credible to the extent that pushed the US to open investigation. The paper said that one of the suspects is called Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi, is an American Muslim detained in October 2003 because he had violated an American embargo to travel to Libya. He described how he had met twice in June and August of 2003 with al-Qathafi to discuss the details of the assassination attempt. Officials said that al-Amoudi told the American investigators that al-Qathafi said at one of the times: I want the Saudi crown prince to be killed in an assassination atempt or in a coupe.

In Saudi Arabia, investigations are being made with Muhammad Ismael who was described as a Libyan intelligence officer who was arrested by the Egyptian police in November after he had fled from Saudi Arabia after he had paid huge sums to armed Saudis who were preparing for the assassination of the Saudi crown prince. Ismael told the Saudi reporters that he was one of the leaders of operation in the conspiracy. He indicated that two heads of the Libyan intelligence were directly under the supervision of al-Qathafi and gave him instructions over the implementation of the plan.

In the course of implementing the plan, al-Amoudi and Ismael headed to London to meet with Saudi separatists through which to recruit armed men in Saudi Arabia to carry out the assassination conspiracy. The paper said according to confessions made by al-Amoudi and Ismael that they distributed more than two million dollars in London. According to the suspects, the conspiracy stated to attack the procession of crown prince Abdullah by an armored vehicles missiles or ani tank shelling. It was due that every participant in the assassination attempt will get one million dollars in cash. According to the paper, the Saudi authorities detained four Saudis suspected to implement the assassination operation and FBI agents asked for interviewing them.

The New York Times which said that the son of al-Qathafi Seif al-Islam described in an interview in London that the accusation are "nonsense," added that the officials are still investigating the size of the conspiracy and the extent of the progress attained in it and whether al-Qathafi is involved.

The Libyan foreign minister Abdul Rahman Shalqam deliberately denied Tripoli to have had involved in planning for the assassination operation. In a press conference in Tripoli he said " I confirm officially that this article is baseless and the one who seaks these articles is among anti- Libyan elements." He stressed that " relations between the two countries are good and normal."

Previous Stories:
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  Two Libyans try to attack al-Faisal in Cairo   (9/9/2003)
  Libya denounces Saudi Arabia press; relations uneffected   (8/19/2003)

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