October 22, 2004

PRINCE ABDULLAH IBN ABDUL AZIZ: THE TERRORISTS HAVE TARNISHED THE IMAGE OF ISLAM. GOD WILL NOT TOLERATE HAVING HIS CREED TAMPERED WITH. ALMIGHTY GOD WILL ENSURE WE PREVAIL OVER THEM AND THEIR SUPPORTERS. PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL: THE KINGDOM IS AT THE CORE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR WAR AGAINST TERRORISM. AL-AMOUDI SENTENCED TO 23 YEARS IN PRISON FOR ILLEGAL FINANCIAL DEALINGS WITH LIBYA, IN A CASE THAT REVEALED A LIBYAN PLOT TO ASSASSINATE CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH IBN ABDUL AZIZ. SAUDI AUTHORITIES ARREST 4 WANTED TERRORISTS AND CONTINUE THEIR SEARCH FOR THE OTHERS. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received a number of princes, ministers and senior officials. The Crown Prince also received the Chief of General Staff, commanders of the armed forces branches and commanders and officers of the security men and the civil defense who came to greet the Crown Prince and congratulate him on the holy month of Ramadan. Addressing the audience, Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz praised all servicemen for preserving the homeland's security and safety and for defending their religion and country. The Crown Prince noted that individuals of this deviating group have defamed Islam's reputation all over the world, stressing that this group and the Kingdom's enemies will be defeated and servicemen will be victorious. Affirming the Kingdom's adherence to the religion, he said that the Kingdom has been targeted because it represents the head of Islam and it has the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah. The audience was attended by a number of princes and officials. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received a number of princes, ministers, senior officials of the Cabinet's Presidency and the Royal Court; a group of citizens and Commanders and officers of the Royal Guard who came to greet the Crown Prince and congratulated him on the holy month of Ramadan. Crown Prince Abdullah also received a delegation of Hael-based Al-Muslim Tribe from Al-Rimal of Shammar who congratulated the Crown Prince on the holy month of Ramadan and denounced the criminal acts perpetrated by the deviating group in the Kingdom. On his part, Crown Prince Abdullah thanked them for their support, noble feelings and loyalty to the religion and the country, noting that this deviating group has defamed Islam's reputation. The Crown Prince stressed that this group and their supporters will be defeated. The audience was attended by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; a number of princes and officials. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received the Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khalid Ala'nqiri; directors of the universities of King Saud, King Abdul Aziz and King Fahd for Petroleum and Minerals and the three universities' staff members who won invention patent certificates and whose invention patents were registered in the United States of America. The Crown Prince decorated the scientists of the three universities who won the invention patents in various scientific fields with first-grade King Abdul Aziz medals. The scientists decorated were Dr. Anees Faqeeha, Dr. Saeed Al Zahrani, Dr. Khalid Al Sabti, Dr. Faisal Al Soqair, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Nghaimish, Dr. Rajih Al Zaid, Dr. Mohasin Al Tameem, Dr. Waleed Abu Al-Faraj, Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdul Fattah, Dr. Abdul Malik Al Jnaidi, Dr. Abdullah Aseeri, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Soawayan, Dr. Sidqi Abu Khamseen, Dr. Amr Al Qotb, Dr. Ahmad Al Qarni, Eng. Abdul Qadir Maghribi, and Eng. Mohammad Abu Al Hamayel. In Riyadh Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Interior Minister, received a delegation of Shammar tribe, led by Sheikh Mutlaq Ibn Hattash Ibn Rimal Al Shammari, who came to greet him. The delegation condemned the criminal acts perpetrated by the deviant group in the Kingdom. Prince Naif thanked them for their feelings. Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Interior Minister, had received a delegation of a Saudi tribe who came to greet him. Sheikh Hilo Ibn Abdullah, the representative of the delegation of Al Waibar, a branch of the tribe of Shammar, delivered a speech in which he condemned the criminal acts perpetrated by the deviant group in the Kingdom. Addressing the delegation, Prince Naif thanked them for their feelings. In the United Kingdom Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland, said that terrorism has become the greatest threat to international peace and stability. He added that terrorism has divided societies and all but ended the culture of international understanding. He stated that terrorism has tried to turn friends into enemies and "above all has made us distrust each other and even those with whom we have deep-rooted relationships across the world." Prince Turki said that to protect those relationships, terrorism has made us constantly review what makes us friends, trade partners and international allies. In a lecture he delivered at the University of Durham, Prince Turki said British media currently draw a bleak, unbalanced picture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prince Turki said the kingdom has a stable government, prosperous economy and a peaceful, non-extremist people who do not call for violence or terrorism in any way as some media outlets try to promote. Prince Turki emphasized that extremism is the mark of a few group which has been transferred to abandon mercy and logic and carry out evil agenda with advanced technological weapons. Some parties in the west imagine that Al Qaeda network and its followers are in control of our region. The logic being promoted by the media here is that relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Britain as well as relations between Islam and the west are on the verge of collapse due to misunderstanding and different views, he said, adding that the real difference remains in contradiction between the west's view towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the reality which we know. In detail, the prince cast light on the aspects of comprehensive development in all aspects of life in the Kingdom, notably the human resources development through the spread of education and health services and the construction of an advanced infrastructure in the best international standards. Prince Turki Al-Faisal stressed that the Kingdom and its people respect others' cultures and religions and it demanded that others respect its cultures and religion. He noted that the Kingdom is at the heart of the Muslim world and it has great responsibilities towards Islamic holy places. He laid stress on the Kingdom's respect for human rights, pointing in this regard to the formation of two human rights committees. Prince Turki Al-Faisal said that there are 8 million foreigners working in the Kingdom and they are not subject to hatred crimes. On the economy, he indicated that the Kingdom has recorded a surplus of 6.1 billion sterling pounds. He affirmed that the Kingdom's relations with the West are neither bad nor on the brink of deterioration, reviewing in this regard the exchange of visits between Saudi and British officials to enhance relations between the two countries. The Kingdom is at the core of the international campaign in war on terrorism, affirming that Al-Qaeda network considers the Kingdom as its major target, the Prince said. He added that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz strongly condemned terrorism in a message addressed to the World Higher Council of Mosques and warned of terrorism networks that exploit the deviating group to achieve its goals and defame the image of Islam and Muslims. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard said that terrorists are our enemies, our country will develop in spite of them and these enemies will be eradicated however it might take long time, Prince Turki said. Prince Turki called on intellectuals and academicians in the west to reconsider the components of the western civilization and to consider that Islam has contributed to the making of the current civilization. He referred to the Jewish Christian traditions, a terminology widely used nowadays in the west, calling for adding Islam to it, thanks to its share in the western culture. The lecture was attended by a big number of staff and students of the University of Durham. Following the lecture, Prince Turki Al-Faisal met with Saudi students who attended the event, discussing with them matters regarding their studies in the university. Meanwhile in Riyadh, Prince General Metib Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs, visited the security men who have been admitted at King Abdul Aziz National Guard Medical City. The security men were admitted at the Medical City after the clashes which took place between them and members of the deviant group. Prince Metib was accompanied by Dr Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Rabee'a, the Executive Director General of Health Affairs at the National Guard. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz reiterated the Kingdom's determination to root out terrorism as security forces arrested two terror suspects in a predawn crackdown in Riyadh. "The terrorists have tarnished the image of Islam. God will not tolerate having His creed tampered with. God Almighty will ensure we prevail over them and their supporters," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the Crown Prince as saying. Prince Abdullah was speaking to the group of citizens from Hail, who came to greet him on the occasion of Ramadan and voice their support for the government's efforts to stamp out terrorism. "Two militants wanted by security authorities were arrested after an exchange of fire, during which one of the two was slightly wounded," said Brig. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Interior Ministry. The shootout occurred when security forces raided a suspected hideout in the Al-Khaleej district of eastern Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat, quoted Brig. Mansour Al-Turki as saying. The militants resisted arrest by opening fire on the security forces, he said. According to eyewitnesses, the operation lasted less than 25 minutes. Two other suspected militants were arrested in a separate operation in the village of Temair, northwest of Riyadh last Friday. Security forces also seized leaflets and other printed material from them. One of the suspects was arrested after security forces besieged a house attached to a rest house in Temair, while the other man was held with two women while trying to evade a police checkpoint. Saudi Arabia, hit by a string of terror attacks, which have killed around 100 people since May 2003, has rounded up hundreds of militants suspected of links with the Al-Qaeda network. Brig. Mansour Al-Turki did not name the two militants arrested in the capital yesterday or say whether they figured on a list of 26 most-wanted suspects, 10 of whom remain at large. The Interior Ministry announced last Wednesday that one of the three people killed in a gun battle last Tuesday was Abdul Majeed Al-Munie, who was on the list of the most wanted terrorists and an ideologue of Al-Qaeda cell in the Kingdom. Saudi authorities have adopted new strategy and tactics regarding publishing the list of the most wanted suspects and its intelligence gathering, the Ministry of Interior official said. Our new strategy is not to list the wanted militants names in published lists, said Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of Ministry of Interior. Listing them in such things would make the security work concentrated more on those names than on the others who might not be included. Al-Turki said that publishing such lists might result in more violence as the militants feel that they are well known and watched by everyone. This feeling, he said, might push them to be more cautious and careful. It also pushes them to carry heavy weapons through their movement, even in public places. He said that the primary goal of such a change in strategy is the safety of the citizens and to increase the focus on security operations and efforts to combat terrorism. Security work should be concentrated on the action of terrorism itself rather than the people who carry out such actions, he added. Saudi Arabia has achieved a considerable success in its crackdown against the extremists who have been behind the recent wave of violence inside the Kingdom. The killing of Abdul Majid Ibn Mohammad A Munei by Saudi security men near a luxury housing compound for foreigners in Riyadh has dropped the number of the militants on the 26 most wanted list to just 10. Saudi authorities published its list of 26 most wanted militants on December 2003. Three of those militants surrendered to authorities as a response to the royal amnesty announced on June 23. Three others not on the list also surrendered. The amnesty was announced at the peak of what Saudi officials called victory on defeating Al-Qaeda militants in the Arab Peninsula. The remaining 10 suspect terrorists were either arrested or killed during the confrontations with the security men in separate operation all over the Kingdom but mainly in Riyadh the capital of the rich gulf State. Al-Munei, meanwhile, was classified among the top Al-Qaeda's legislators. Terrorism specialists believe that among those legislators only Sultan Al Otaibi and Abdullah Al-Rushoud were left, which marked an increasing success in defeating that branch of Al-Qaeda's organization in the Kingdom says the Saudi Gazette. Al-Turki said that classifying terrorist under categories is difficult. He refused to classify Munei under any category of Al-Qaeda internal organization. He said that terrorism is not a phenomenon that can be defeated by the killing or arresting of a group of dangerous people because it requires nothing more than being ready to die and kill as much people as possible. The limitation of the remaining most wanted suspects to 10 people or even killing the entire 26 does not mean that terrorism has been uprooted. Continuous cautiousness is always required, he said. Al-Turki said that the Ministry of Interior has accomplished most of its mission by dealing with crimes and terrorist acts. He said that their responsibility is an executive one that is focused on security and military actions. He said that the Ministry of Interior does not take any initiative or action except when they have evidence. We ca not take any action, even arresting, unless we have enough evidence, Al-Turki said. We ca not deal with any body outside those limits. Yet, following the recent wave of violence, he said more attention is being given to intelligence operations and investigation, which are the basics for any action that is taken by the ministry. He added that such investigations are performed within the regulations that prohibit taking any action against people unless evidence is available. Those actions of investigation fall within the ministry's precautionary procedures while awareness is mainly something that should be done through education and other civil establishments. He said that there is no authority around the world that can take complete action before any attack occurs. But people can always improve and raise their proficiency through learning from their mistakes. Saudi Arabia has learned how to implement more procedures on those most targeted places, he said. The proficiency of the security men has dramatically increased as a result of practice and as a requirement for the present situation. Now they are subject to new types of intensive training. Our responds to events now is more accurate and faster that any previous time as a result of experience, he said. Thirteen men on the most wanted list have been killed and three others surrendered to authorities. Those still on the run include Saleh Al-Awfi, reputed commander of Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom, Abdullah Al-Rashoud, Sultan Al-Otaibi, two ideologues of Awfi's cell, and Abdul Kareem Al-Majati, the Moroccan mastermind behind the Casablanca explosions. He remains outside the Kingdom. Alleged terrorists remaining on the Kingdom's most wanted list and still fugitives are: Abdullah Al-Rashoud, Sultan Al-Otaibi, Abdul Kareem Al-Majati, Saleh Al-Awfi, Bandar Al-Dakheel, Taleb Al-Taleb, Abdullah Al-Subaie, Saud Al-Otaibi, Hussein Al-Haski and Abdul Rahman Al-Yazji. Alleged extremists listed as most wanted and killed by security forces are: Isa Al-Aushan, Abdul Majeed Al- Munayy, Khaled Haj, Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin, Rakan Al-Saikhan, Faisal Al-Dakheel, Aamir Al-Shahri, Talal Anbari, Ahmed Fadhli, Khaled Al-Qurashi, Mustafa Mubaraki, Nasser Al-Rashed and Ibrahim Al-Rayyes. Most wanted men surrendering to Saudi authorities are: Faris Al-Zahrani, Othman Al-Amri and Mansour Faqeeh. Saudi security men had arrested four suspected extremists and two women in two separate operations in Riyadh early last Saturday, an official from the Ministry of Interior said. The operations were easy ones and no shooting was exchanged, said Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior. Al-Turki said that both operations took place in the early morning. The first was in Temair, a small village 90 km north west of Riyadh. It lasted for more than five hours, Al-Turki said, due to the nature of the region were many farms and rest houses are spread. We had to exercise extreme caution because we did not know what exactly was waiting for us there, Al-Turki said. But it was a normal combing process that resulted in the arrest of two suspects in that area. Okaz reported that another suspect and two women were arrested while trying to flee from the house. But Al-Turki declined to comment, noting that families in such places is not something rare or abnormal. However, he said recently that security officers have noticed that terrorists are moving more with their families. They use Saudi security men's respect for families and the nature of Saudi society. They also use them to pass the police checkpoints but still this does not mean that families are participating or are part of those operations. He noted that security men do not take the initiative in shooting, especially when there is a family. But, he said those terrorist groups do not care about the safety of their families. They sometimes expose them to danger just to escape. Last month, in Al-Rawdah District attack, for example, militants started to shoot at policemen during the evacuation process of their families from the building. They just do not care, he added. The second confrontation took place also in Riyadh in Al-Khalij District east of the Saudi capital. Two suspected militants were arrested following heavy exchange of gunfire. One suspect was injured. The recent incidents have raised the spectre of extremists using family members to further their cause. It also raises the question of whether women are participating in such events or if it s only coincidence. On the other hand a leading American Muslim activist was sentenced to 23 years in prison last Friday for illegal financial dealings with Libya, in a case that revealed a Libyan plot to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. Abdu Rahman Al Amoudi, who was born in Eritrea and obtained US nationality in 1996, pleaded guilty in July to unlicensed travel to and commerce with Libya, making false statements on an immigration form and tax offences. Al Amoudi, the founder and former executive director of the American Muslim Council and the founder of the American Muslim Foundation, was sentenced to 276 months in jail by District Judge Claude M. Hilton in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday. US Attorney General John Ashcroft welcomed the conclusion of the case against Al Amoudi, a resident of Falls Church, Virginia. The government's investigations are designed to prevent acts of terrorism by obtaining cooperation and developing intelligence, Ashcroft said in a statement. According to court documents, Al Amoudi, between November 1995 and September 2003, illegally transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars into the United States from Libya and other sources. He made at least 10 trips to Libya and met with Libyan government officials. During a March 13, 2003 meeting, Al Amoudi and Libyan government officials allegedly discussed creating headaches and disruptions in Saudi Arabia. Al Amoudi later learnt that the actual objective was the assassination of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the documents said. According to the officials, Al Amoudi participated in recruiting participants for the plot by introducing the Libyans to two Saudi dissidents in London and facilitating the transfer of hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash from the Libyans to the dissidents to finance the plot. In New York for the first time in more than 25 years, the U.S. Secretary of State has met with the Libyan Foreign Minister. Colin Powell o held talks with his Libyan counterpart, Abdul Rahman Shalgam, discussing Libya's efforts to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction programs. U.S. President George W. Bush had signed an executive order lifting the remaining U.S. commercial sanctions against Libya after determining the African nation had met U.S. requirements for disarmament. A senior U.S. State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Powell told the Libyan Foreign Minister that he was pleased with the completion of this latest phase and that Tripoli has set a positive example for other nations. At the same time, this official said Powell made it clear that the United States believes Libya still has a "a fair amount of work to do on the terrorist issue." Although Libya has renounced terrorism and said it is sharing information on the war on terror, Powell made clear that Washington has "serious concerns" about Libya's suspected involvement in the plot to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, Ibn Abdul Aziz the official said. This official said Libya would not be removed from the State Department's list of terrorist-sponsoring nations until the United States had adequate assurances in that regard. "We still have concerns and questions we need to sort through," the official said, adding that Washington is committed to working with Tripoli. U.S. officials said the meeting with the Libyan foreign minister marked the first time in at least a quarter century -- and possibly as many as 35 years -- that a U.S. secretary of state has talked face-to-face with his Libyan counterpart. In London the Bank of England ordered a freeze on any assets belonging to a terrorist group that claimed responsibility for kidnapping and beheading two Americans and one Briton in Iraq, Treasury chief Gordon Brown said. Brown told lawmakers in the House of Commons that he had instructed the bank to direct all financial institutions in Britain to freeze any assets of the Jama'at Al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad group -- known as Tawhid and Jihad. Led by Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the group said it abducted American engineers Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley and British engineer Kenneth Bigley last month. All three were beheaded. "We must do all in our power to ensure there is no hiding place for terrorists and no hiding place for those who finance terrorism," said Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer. The asset freeze makes it a criminal offense for any financial institution to hold or facilitate funds held by the group. It was unclear whether Tawhid and Jihad has any assets in British accounts. Brown's order will prompt companies to check whether they hold money belonging to the group, a Treasury spokesman said. "This is the first action by a country on this group and we expect other partners to follow suit," the spokesman said, adding that the United Nations could take action against Tawhid and Jihad. Britain didn't move to freeze the group's assets earlier because "the legislation requires a high standard of evidence to be there before the Chancellor can instruct action to be taken," the spokesman said. Brown said his decision followed meetings with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He said Tawhid and Jihad had admitted involvement in the murder of two other hostages and had committed terrorist attacks across Iraq. Bigley, Armstrong and Hensley were kidnapped from their homes in Baghdad on Sept. 16. The Americans were killed a few days later and Bigley's execution was confirmed on Oct. 10. Tawhid and Jihad has been at the forefront of the opposition to U.S.-led forces in Iraq and has claimed responsibility for attacks on American troops, Iraqi officials and police, as well as the seizing and killing of foreigners. Al-Zarqawi's group beheaded South Korean translator Kim Sun-il, 33, in June and American businessman Nicholas Berg, who was kidnapped in April. Al-Zarqawi's followers are also suspected of killing two Bulgarian truck drivers. The Chancellor has told the Bank of England, acting as agents for the Treasury, to instruct all financial institutions to put a hold on any funds held on behalf of the Tawhid and Jihad terrorist group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He told the Commons that the group was suspected of being behind Mr Bigley's murder and the killings of five other hostages in Iraq. Mr Brown told MPs: "We must do all in our power to ensure there is no hiding place for terrorists and no hiding place for those who finance terrorism." Mr Bigley, a 62-year-old engineer from Liverpool, was beheaded after being held by his captors in Iraq for over three weeks. The two American colleagues he was kidnapped with from a house in Baghdad were killed shortly after their capture. The Treasury said the asset freeze was authorised under the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2001 and would be sent to 600 financial institutions. Treasury sources said it was impossible to know if Tawhid and Jihad has any assets in Britain, but that the freezing order might reveal any finances. They said Britain's allies would hopefully follow the freezing order, with the eventual aim being for the UN to list the group as banned terrorist organisation. It would then be illegal for the group to hold funds or raise money anywhere in the world. A LEADING American Muslim activist was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Friday for illegal financial dealings with Libya, in a case that revealed an alleged Libyan plot to assassinate the HRH Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was born in Eritrea and obtained US nationality in 1996, pleaded guilty in July to unlicensed travel to and commerce with Libya, making false statements on an immigration form and tax offenses. Almoudi, the founder and former executive director of the American Muslim Council and the founder of the American Muslim Foundation, was sentenced to 276 months in jail by District Judge Claude M. Hilton in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday. US Attorney General John Ashcroft welcomed the conclusion of the case against Almoudi, a resident of Falls Church, Virginia. The government s investigations are designed to prevent acts of terrorism by obtaining cooperation and developing intelligence, Ashcroft said in a statement. According to court documents, Almoudi, between November 1995 and September 2003, illegally transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars into the United States from Libya and other sources. He made at least 10 trips to Libya and met with Libyan government officials. During a March 13, 2003 meeting, Alamoudi and Libyan government officials allegedly discussed creating headaches and disruptions in Saudi Arabia. Alamoudi later learnt that the actual objective was the assassination of Crown Prince Abdullah, the documents said. According to the officials, Alamoudi participated in recruiting participants for the plot by introducing the Libyans to two Saudi dissidents in London and facilitating the transfer of hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash from the Libyans to the dissidents to finance the plot.