Saudi security forces have arrested 701 suspected militants this year, some of them suspected of plotting attacks against the oil and economic installations, a source at the Interior Ministry announced in a statement Wednesday. Out of those arrested, 181 were released because there was no proof of linking them to the terror network, while 520 remain in custody, the statement said. Among the detainees were some of Asian and African nationality. Some planned to use car bombs in attacks on an oil and a security target in coordination with Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman Al-Zawahri who would send fighters from Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa to back them up. “Security forces managed to arrest one cell in the Eastern Province led by African residents ... their concern was to get close to people working in the oil sector in order to find work in oil installations,” the statement said. “They planned in fact to attack an oil installation and security target with rigged cars,” it added. The statement said the Eastern Province cell leader was found with a taped message from Zawahri. The detainees included another cell that was collecting funds in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, the scene of an attack on foreigners working in the energy sector in 2004. “They were acquiring money by any means including theft and fraud in order to fund terrorist activities inside and outside the country,” the statement said. “They tried to exploit religious sentiment in the country through Internet propaganda.” Some distrustful Internet website use names of some Saudi citizens to try to convince users that many Saudi are linked with Al-Qaeda. Major General Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told Saudi Gazette that the ministry deals with these according to its own investigation and information. “We don't deal with any person unless we have full information and strong evidence,” Al-Turki said “Chiefs of the sedition abroad have engaged in recruiting nationals in Asian and African countries to carry out operations in Saudi Arabia, taking advantage of the facilities granted to the Muslims to come to Makkah for the annual pilgrimage or to do the Umrah,” the statement said. “The cells that have been broken up which were run from abroad were primarily targeting economic targets in the country,” it said. A network of supporters, who instigated terrorist activities and carried out organized efforts to recruit youths and send them outside for training, was also arrested in different regions of the Kingdom. It was the biggest sweep of suspects since November when the authorities announced the arrest of 208 militants also planning attacks on oil installations. In December other suspects were arrested during the Haj. – With input from agencies __
