Saudis mount intense drive against terror

Under the watchful eye of FBI agents, the Saudi security authorities are using an unorthodox - but apparently successful - interrogation technique against suspected Al Qaeda militants to extract information on the deadly suicide bombings in Riyadh earlier this month.

Muslim clerics are being employed to "verbally beat" the prisoners, telling them that they have misinterpreted Islam and should confess all they know to win favor once more with God, according to a Western diplomat in Riyadh. It is a technique that diplomats say the Saudis have used before to question suspected Islamic militants.

"It's working very well," the diplomat says.

A massive manhunt, launched after the devastating May 12 suicide bombings of three housing compounds in Riyadh in which 34 people were killed, appears to be achieving results. A suspected Al Qaeda ringleader of the attacks was reportedly arrested Tuesday along with two other men in an Internet cafe in Medina. Two other arrests were also reported Tuesday. At least seven suspects were arrested last week and hundreds have been rounded up for questioning.

In the wake of the May 12 bombings, the Saudis were accused of failing to heed prior warnings of an imminent terrorist attack against a Western target. Stung by the criticism, the Saudi authorities tightened security nationwide. Checkpoints on the highways that criss-cross this sprawling city generate huge backups. Concrete barriers have been erected in front of Riyadh's major hotels and all arriving cars are stopped and searched. Additional guards have been placed around housing compounds - walled residential areas where expats can lead relatively Western-style lives beyond the restrictions of Saudi society.

The security measures and vigorous investigation efforts appear to have won US approval. US Ambassador Robert Jordan Wednesday hailed the "superb" cooperation between the Saudi authorities and a 60-strong FBI team which was dispatched to the kingdom in the wake of the bombings to assist with the investigation.

"The FBI team is likely to conclude the evidence-gathering portion of their work by the end of this week. Then they will return home," Mr. Jordan told reporters at a press briefing at the embassy. He added that a small FBI team would travel to Saudi Arabia to follow up on the initial inquiries.

Last week, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayyef bin Abdel Aziz said that the FBI team would observe the investigation rather than play an active part. Jordan would not comment on the specific extent of the FBI's role in the investigation, but the Western diplomatic source confirmed that FBI agents are attending the interrogation sessions and feeding questions to the interrogators.

"The FBI is taking part and they are very happy with their level of involvement," the diplomat says.

Page: 1 | 2