Largest security operations in Saudi Arabia to foil attacks
The Saudi authorities have announced foiling "terrorist schemes against vital positions" and arresting 16 persons and confiscating large amounts of weapons, ammunition, explosives and military equipment in Riyadh, al-Qasim and al-Sharqeyah areas, in one of the largest security operations carried out in the kingdom during the past years.
With the elapse of four months of the Riyadh attacks, the Saudi Arabian ministry of the interior issued a statement in which it announced that its security forces was able to foil terrorist operations which were about to be executed against some targets, arrested 17 persons involved in "terrorist cells" and are still chasing members of organizational links to them.
It was not known yet if those detainees have direct relations with Osama Bin Laden or just sympathizers or if they have relations to the explosions of Riyadh in May which resulted in killing 30 persons. Another security official said that the acts of arrest were held during the four past days.
However, the volume and nature of the confiscated weapons reveal the danger of the security mission facing the Saudi authorities and the coming risks despite the fact that from time to time terrorist cells are discovered, and weapons confiscated, especially following the attacks of September 11 against Washington and New York.
The Saudi news agency quoted an official source in the ministry of the interior that the inspection operations in the shelters of these cells which are in "farms and houses in Riyadh, al-Qasim and al-Sharqeyah areas" resulted in finding "large amounts of boxes which contain weapons and various types of explosives dumped under the ground in addition to an amount of 72 RDZ explosives and other fatal weapons."
Warehouses were also found underground containing bags filled with chemical mixtures to process explosives. The amount tolled 20 tons and 79 Kg.
The Saudi ministry of the interior also indicated that night goggles were found, communications systems and cameras, passports for several nationalities and false ID, computer cylinders and boxes to raise funds, 300,000 Saudi Riyals and bikes and cars prepared for carrying out criminal operations, according to the statement.