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Four alqaeda arrested { May 18 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5981-2003May18.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5981-2003May18.html
Four Al Qaeda Suspects Arrested in Bombings, Saudis Say
By Adnan Malik
Associated Press Writer
Sunday, May 18, 2003; 11:22 AM
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi authorities have arrested four al Qaeda suspects in last week's Riyadh suicide attacks that killed 25 bystanders, the Saudi interior minister said Sunday.
Prince Nayef also said investigators identified five of the nine dead attackers believed to have carried out the May 12 attacks on three compounds housing foreigners in Riyadh.
Prince Nayef said the four men in custody were among a group of 19 suspected al Qaeda members whom the Saudi authorities had identified earlier this month. He also said three of the nine suicide bombers who were killed in the blasts were among this same group.
"Those whom we are holding had knowledge of the attacks," Deputy Interior Minister Ahmed al-Salem told reporters after Nayef spoke.
Nayef did not elaborate on the arrests of the four suspects.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials will participate in the investigation of last week's bombings, Saudi foreing policy adviser Adel al-Jubeir said on the Sunday morning talk shows.
Al-Jubeir's comments on Sunday morning talk shows appear to contradict Nayef, who said the more than 60 American investigators in Riyadh were just observers. The investigators are from the FBI and other agencies.
"They're helping us with the investigation," al-Jubeir said on "Fox News Sunday." "They're providing support to us. They're sharing whatever information they have. They're sharing their expertise."
Al-Jubeir defended Saudi Arabia's commitment to fight terrorism at a time that criticism of the kingdom is on the rise. Lawmakers say that while offering assurances of cooperation, the royal family has allowed militants to thrive in the kingdom, tolerated virulent anti-American and anti-Jewish rhetoric, and has provided at least indirect funding to terrorists.
Criticism increased after Monday's bombing, which killed 34 people including eight Americans. The attacks followed U.S. requests that the Saudis improve security for Westerners in the kingdom.
Rep. Jane Harman of California, top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the bombings were preventable.
"We know that there was a massive security failure despite repeated warnings by us intelligence, the Saudis did not take adequate measures," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Earlier on the program, al-Jubeir said Saudis had responded to U.S. concerns and called criticism "the blame game and Monday morning quarterbacking."
He compared the criticism with findings made after the Sept. 11 attacks that better cooperation among U.S. intelligence agencies might have prevented the attacks.
"The objective here is to learn what happened, find out where mistakes were and make sure they don't happen again," he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
© 2003 The Associated Press
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