Kingdom said to launch fierce anti-Qaeda fight
WASHINGTON -- Saudi Arabia has waged a sustained offensive against terrorist groups linked to Al Qaeda over the past six months, killing and capturing hundreds of suspected militants and disrupting their operations, according to US and Saudi counterterrorism officials. But Saudi security services also have uncovered a significantly larger terrorist-cell structure than anticipated.
The attack on a Riyadh residential compound yesterday was the first successful operation for Islamic militants in the kingdom since three deadly blasts rocked similar targets May 12. Those attacks marked a watershed in the country's response to the terrorist movement, US and Saudi government officials said.
"There's been a stepped-up pace by the Saudis in trying to get these people," said a US counterterrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They are also tightening up on the flowing of money [out of the kingdom] to terrorist groups. How effective they have been is still a question," he added, "but there is no doubt that the May bombings were a real wake-up call."
The Saudi government has come under fierce criticism and scrutiny for allegedly not doing enough to combat Al Qaeda since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, and the terrorists were financed by Saudi-born Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The royal family has been accused by some US officials and analysts of giving lip service to the war on terrorism, while allowing Saudi sympathizers to continue to fund terror groups and spread Al Qaeda's militant ideology.
But since the May 12 bombings, government security forces have launched numerous raids and instituted measures aimed at cutting off terrorist funds, while also sharing more intelligence about terrorist plots with American and other international authorities, the officials said.
As recently as Monday, Saudi police arrested six suspected Qaeda militants after a shootout in the holy city of Mecca and seized a large stockpile of weapons. It was the latest in a series of offensives in recent months that have killed dozens of suspected Qaeda operatives and arrested dozens more.
On Thursday, two Muslim militants blew themselves up during a police raid in Mecca, hours after another militant was shot to death in Riyadh.
Between Sept. 2001 and May 2003, Saudi authorities have reported, they arrested more than 300 terrorist suspects. Since the bombing on May 12 in Riyadh, however, almost 600 suspects have been arrested. About 190 have been released, 70 to 90 have been sent to trial, and 250 to 300 are still being interrogated, Saudi officials said. Thousands of others have been questioned at the behest of the United States.
The government's more aggressive tactics have also included a series of measures to tighten controls over terrorist finances originating in the kingdom. For example, in June legislation was enacted requiring harsher penalties for money laundering and terror financing. In recent months, Saudi authorities have frozen 41 bank accounts belonging to seven individuals totalling more than $5 million, Saudi officials reported. The Saudis also have increased cooperation with US and other international security forces, particularly in sharing intelligence on possible terrorist plots. Top officials from the State Department, the National Security Council, and the Department of the Treasury recently traveled to Saudi Arabia for high-level meetings.
After the May bombing, the Saudi and US governments established a task force to share "real-time" intelligence and conduct joint operations.
Indeed, US officials were warned Friday about new intelligence pointing to impending attacks in the kingdom, forcing the United States to close its embassy and two consulates.
"The Saudi government, particularly since they were attacked some weeks and months ago, has been very aggressive -- more aggressive than ever in the past in arresting, in capturing, in prosecuting, and in cooperating with intelligence matters, and it's been a big help," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said last week on Fox News Sunday. Still, the Saudis have a long way to go, officials said yesterday. During the recent Saudi campaign, the US counterterrorism official said, the Saudis uncovered far more militants and secret cells than they thought existed.
