Global Arab Network | Saudi Prince survives an assassination by Al-Qaeda

Translate this article to your language:

GANPublications

e-Publications

Add Site to Favorites

Add Page to Favorites

Make Homepage

Share This Page

RSS Feed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |

Saudi Prince survives an assassination by Al-Qaeda

Global Arab Network - - Adam Turner

Friday, 28 August 2009 11:19

Deputy interior minister of Saudi Arabia has escaped a suicide bomber trying to assassinate him in Jeddah, the Saudi news agency said. Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group's Saudi arm, claimed responsibility on Friday in a message posted on internet forums monitored by the Site Intelligence Group.

Prince Muhammad bin Nayef was meeting with well-wishers for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on Thursday evening when a man blew himself up with explosives, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Friday.

The bomber was a wanted man who had previously expressed his intention to give himself up to authorities, SPA said.

SPA said the suicide bomber was the only casualty in the attack, though it did not identify him.

Saudi-owned television later showed the prince, apparently suffering from minor injuries, meeting King Abdullah to explain what happened.

"This will only increase our determination to eradicate this (militancy)," Prince Muhammed said.

The prince, a top security official involved in the kingdom's aggressive anti-terrorism campaign, has been largely credited with the government's recent success in halting the violence.

The attack is the first known assassination attempt against a member of the royal family since the government began its crackdown on al-Qaeda-linked groups eight years ago.

Last week the authorities announced the arrest of 44 suspected militants with al-Qaida links after a year-long sweep that also uncovered dozens of machine guns and electronic circuits for bombs.

Saudi officials said last month that a Saudi criminal court had sentenced 330 al-Qaida militants to prison terms, fines and travel bans in the country's first known trials for suspected members of the terror group.(AFP, SPA, Reuters)

Global Arab Network

Add comment

The opinions of the authors in articles published are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Global Arab Network
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published comments are the opinions of private individuals and do not reflect the views of Global Arab Network