Saudi forces kill kingdom’s top al-Qaeda leader
By Roula Khalaf in London
Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said on Thursday the country’s top al-Qaeda suspect had been killed in a clash with police, two weeks after the US warned of imminent attacks in the world’s largest oil producer.
Saleh al-Awfi, 38, thought to have taken over the leadership of al-Qaeda cells in Saudi Arabia last year, was among four militants killed in police raids in the holy city of Medina and Riyadh, according to the interior ministry.
The elimination of the chief militant suspect deals a new blow to the organisation’s structure in the kingdom. But Thursday’s raids also highlight the security challenge facing King Abdullah, who took over the Saudi leadership this month after the death of his brother Fahd. The new monarch was on his way to Medina for meetings with clerics and tribal leaders when police stormed suspected al-Qaeda hideouts in the city, killing Awfi.
It was unclear on Thursday whether the authorities’ actions had disrupted plans for fresh attacks. Earlier this month the US and UK warned that al-Qaeda militants were in the final stages of planning new violence. The US closed its diplomatic missions in the kingdom for two days and Saudi security forces announced they had discovered an arms cache near Riyadh
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/59958fdc-0ff0-11da-bd5c-00000e2511c8.html
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(891 posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
