Saudi Arabia Arrests 113 Al-Qaeda Suspects

Saudi Arabia said today it has foiled several planned attacks on oil installations with the arrests of 113 suspected al-Qaeda militants in a months-long sweep. Many of the suspects had come to Saudi Arabia on visas to visit holy sites or by sneaking across its borders, but wanted to join and organize attacks with al-Qaeda, the Interior Ministry said.

Those detained included 47 Saudis, 51 Yemenis, a Somali, an Eritrean, and a Bangladeshi. Separately, authorities arrested 12 people from two al-Qaeda cells originating across the border in Yemen. Those two cells were also in the preliminary stages of planning attacks on oil facilities, authorities said. (More Saudi Arabia stories.)