[New York Times] Michael Slackman - Saudi security officials said Friday that they had broken up a vast terrorist ring, arresting 172 men who planned to blow up oil installations, attack public officials and military posts, and storm a prison to free terrorist suspects. Authorities seized a cache of weapons buried in the desert and more than $5.3 million in cash. The government referred to the ring as a "deviant group," the phrase often used to describe al-Qaeda. Officials said that the suspects had trained abroad, in Somalia, Afghanistan, and especially Iraq. "It is the beginning of jihadi operations leaking out of Iraq," said Abdul Aziz al-Qassim, a retired Saudi judge. An Interior Ministry statement said there were seven cells scattered around the country, comprised mostly of Saudi nationals.
2007-04-30 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive