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Saudi fall Fwd: [Arab-Amer] Fw: eFreePalestine! 'Saudi Arabia could fall to al-Qaeda' (fwd) > > Guardian. 27 July 2002. Britons left in jail amid fears that Saudi > > Arabia could fall to al-Qaeda. > > > > LONDON -- Saudi Arabia is teetering on the brink of collapse, fuelling > > Foreign Office fears of an extremist takeover of one of the West's key > > allies in the war on terror. > > > > Anti-government demonstrations have swept the desert kingdom in the past > > months in protest at the pro-American stance of the de facto ruler, > > Prince Abdullah. > > > > At the same time, Whitehall officials are concerned that Abdullah could > > face a palace coup from elements within the royal family sympathetic to > > al-Qaeda. > > > > Saudi sources said the Pentagon had recently sponsored a secret > > conference to look at options if the royal family fell. > > > > Demonstrations across the kingdom broke out in March, triggered by a > > fire in a girls' school in which 14 pupils died after the religious > > police stopped them escaping. > > > > Unrest in the east of the country rapidly escalated into nationwide > > protests against the royal family that were brutally suppressed by the > > police. > > > > The Observer has obtained secret video footage of the protests smuggled > > out of the country last week that shows hundreds of Saudis, including > > women, demonstrating in support of the Palestinians and opposition to > > the regime. > > > > The Foreign Office believes that the failure of Abdullah's recent Middle > > East peace plan could have terminally undermined his position. > > > > The Crown Prince's main rival, Prince Sultan, the Defence Minister, has > > been vocal in his opposition to Abdullah's pro-Western policy. His > > brother Prince Naif, head of the Interior Ministry, has led a crackdown > > on the Saudi media in the wake of the demonstrations to stop any word of > > them leaking out. > > > > Abdullah has even sent his own representative to Washington to counter > > the influence of the ambassador, Prince Bandar, a son of Prince Sultan. > > > > Anti-Abdullah elements within the Saudi government are also thought to > > have colluded in a wave of bomb attacks on Western targets by Islamic > > terrorists. > > > > The authorities have blamed the attacks on an alleged 'turf war' between > > Westerners involved in the bootleg alcohol trade and have jailed five > > Britons, a Canadian and a Belgian for the bombings. > > > > But British intelligence sources have confirmed that the attacks were > > carried out by Islamists linked to al-Qaeda. > > > > Earlier this year, the accused men were handed sentences ranging from > > execution to long prison terms. But lawyers acting for the Britons have > > told The Observer that they could soon be free. > > > > The tensions between the royal factions will intensify with the death of > > King Fahd. The condition of the king, in hospital in Switzerland, is > > 'unstable', doctors said. > > > > British-based Saudi dissident Dr Saad al-Fagih said: 'There is now an > > undeclared war between the factions in the Saudi royal family.' > > > > > >

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