Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Feb 8: Reports suggest that al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden's son-in-law is among 85 men listed as 'most wanted' by the Saudi Arabian Government.
The documents profiling 85 wanted men (83 Saudis and 2 Yemenis) say that many of these men either took part in planning attacks targeting oil, security and other installation in the Kingdom or providing al Qaeda with weapons, safe haven, false documents and money.
The documents reveal the extent of Saudi participation in the shadowy extremist networks struggling to rebuild in the Arabian Peninsula after a series of harsh crackdowns in past years. All men on the list are hiding abroad, many in neighboring Yemen.
Saudi officials say Yemen's lawless hinterland gives these militants a place to hide, while keeping them close to the kingdom and their source of recruits. The men on the list came from throughout the kingdom, according to the documents.
The document claim that the youngest, 16-year-old Abdul-Ilah al-Shihri, was only nine around the time of 9/11, and he was smuggled into Yemen to join al Qaeda there by his uncle.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told a foreign news agency, that the men are active members of al Qaeda or local offshoots and are planning to re-establish the terror network in Saudi Arabia.
Al Qaeda has not carried out a major attack since Feb 2006, when suicide bombers tried but failed to attack an oil facility at the Abqaiq oil complex, the world's largest oil processing facility, in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia issued the list last Monday, Feb 2 and has sought Interpol's help in arresting the men.
They include 11 who have been released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. Among them were two Saudis who have emerged as the new leaders of Yemen's branch of al Qaeda.
ANI
The documents profiling 85 wanted men (83 Saudis and 2 Yemenis) say that many of these men either took part in planning attacks targeting oil, security and other installation in the Kingdom or providing al Qaeda with weapons, safe haven, false documents and money.
The documents reveal the extent of Saudi participation in the shadowy extremist networks struggling to rebuild in the Arabian Peninsula after a series of harsh crackdowns in past years. All men on the list are hiding abroad, many in neighboring Yemen.
Saudi officials say Yemen's lawless hinterland gives these militants a place to hide, while keeping them close to the kingdom and their source of recruits. The men on the list came from throughout the kingdom, according to the documents.
The document claim that the youngest, 16-year-old Abdul-Ilah al-Shihri, was only nine around the time of 9/11, and he was smuggled into Yemen to join al Qaeda there by his uncle.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told a foreign news agency, that the men are active members of al Qaeda or local offshoots and are planning to re-establish the terror network in Saudi Arabia.
Al Qaeda has not carried out a major attack since Feb 2006, when suicide bombers tried but failed to attack an oil facility at the Abqaiq oil complex, the world's largest oil processing facility, in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia issued the list last Monday, Feb 2 and has sought Interpol's help in arresting the men.
They include 11 who have been released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. Among them were two Saudis who have emerged as the new leaders of Yemen's branch of al Qaeda.
ANI
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