member terrorist cell broken up by security forces in the south of the Kingdom was planning a series of armed robberies on banks and shops to finance their activities, reliable sources said. The mountain hide-out used by the cell had been under surveillance by the authorities for a month, and that the confiscated “huge stockpile of sugar” was evidence that the site was intended for a “long stay.” they said. The Ministry of Interior announced the capture of the cell, all 11 of whom are of Saudi nationality, on Tuesday evening, and revealed the discovery at the site of arms and ammunition buried in several locations, along with food supplies, cameras and other equipment. Sources said that the cell would have stopped at nothing in its determination to carry out its plans which would have resulted in great bloodshed. They added that any money or assets gained from criminal activities would be considered by the cell as “booty to help them in their so-called jihad (holy war).” The hide-out was discovered, according to the sources, a month earlier in a cave in the southern area of Al-Sarwat Mountains, which lies between Asir and Najran. The security forces reportedly pursued the cell members one by one in what the sources described as “professional precision operation.” Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the cell planned to carry out armed robberies on outlets large and small, describing it as a sign of their desperation in acquiring funds. “This is conclusive evidence that society totally rejects them and that no one supports or sympathizes with them. As a result, they had no choice but to hide in caves,” Al-Turki said. Al-Turki further cited locations in the cave designated for the holding of hostages and for photographing them and filming them “in order to circulate the images through their terrorist network, as happened with Al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen in a video recording last month”. The hostages were to include, Al-Turki said, “security men and citizens.” “One of the objectives of the cell was to provide logistic support to Al-Qaeda Organization in Yemen and other places, besides facilitating their terrorist goals and providing a safe haven for its members,” Al-Turki said. “The cell had planned methods of departure from the Kingdom after they had carried out their crimes,” Al-Turki said, citing as evidence that the cell had links to Al-Qaeda Organization in Yemen, “who trained about 250 deviants to carry out attacks targeting the Kingdom's security.”
