The hunt continues
Saudi Arabia offers financial incentives to obtain information on terrorists, writes John R Bradley in Riyadh
A Saudi government pledge to reward citizens financially for information leading to the death or capture of 26 wanted terrorist suspects apparently paid off last Monday when Saudi security forces killed an Islamist militant during a clash in Riyadh following a tip- off. "Ibrahim Al-Rayes, monitored on the basis of information provided by residents...opened fire against security forces who responded, killing him," said a ministry spokesman Monday in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
On Saturday, the US upgraded its security warning for Saudi Arabia and restricted its diplomatic staff to the diplomatic quarters of their cities for all but essential duties. "The embassy continues to be concerned about the current situation in Saudi Arabia," the message said. "Effective immediately, travel of all embassy personnel and dependents of the Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter should be restricted to essential business only. Similar restrictions will be placed on American personnel and dependents at the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran."
The latest gun battle followed what has become a familiar pattern in clashes with Islamists since Saudi security forces went on heightened alert after the 12 May and 8 November attacks on residential compounds in Riyadh that killed a total of 52 people.
According to an Interior Ministry spokesman, the shoot-out occurred at a service station in southwestern Riyadh and that, "false papers and a grenade" were taken off the suspect's body. The spokesman added that a search of the suspect's home recovered three grenades, a machine-gun, three pistols and ammunition. Also on Saturday, Saudi Arabia named and published photographs of 26 "terror suspects" -- 23 Saudis, two Moroccans and one Yemeni -- and offered financial rewards for information leading to their arrests.
"Security forces have identified a number of individuals involved in terror acts that took place in the kingdom in the past few months," the Interior Ministry had said. The suspect killed on Monday was reportedly one of the 26 "terror suspects".
The ministry urged people with any information on the terrorists or their activities to call a toll-free number and promised a reward of $1.9 million if the information would help prevent a possible attack.
In addition, the ministry said $1.36 million would be awarded to anyone with information leading to the arrest of several of the suspects or other "terror elements", while information on only one of the suspects would be rewarded with $272,000.
The pictures of the suspects were published in Saudi dailies Sunday, and on Monday newspapers carried appeals from some of the men's families calling on them to surrender.
Last week, Saudi authorities also announced they had detained an American and a Briton for unspecified reasons. The English-language Arab News daily identified the American as Abdul-Latif Ibrahim Bilal, brother of Ahmed and Mohamed Bilal, members of an Islamist group in Oregon known as the Portland Seven. Last year, the two were accused of plotting to join the Taliban in 2001 to fight a holy war against the US forces in Afghanistan.
In September, the Bilal brothers pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to help Al-Qa'eda and the Taliban and firearms charges, in exchange for having the main charge of conspiracy to wage war against the US dismissed. They are awaiting sentencing and face up to 14 years in federal prison.
