--------------------------------
Security sources in Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that they recently arrested three Al-Qaida operatives holding Moroccan citizenship who plotted to hijack a civilian airliner and crash it into a Jiddah building.
But Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef later Wednesday denied that the men arrested trying to board a Saudi airliner had been planning a September 11 style suicide attack, Saudi television reported.
"There is no truth in this. The truth is that those who were arrested were two Moroccans who were wanted over previous security cases," Saudi television quoted Prince Nayef as saying. The television report gave no more details.
The Saudis security sources told CNN earlier on Wednesday that the three men, armed with knives, were arrested on Monday evening at the Jiddah airport as they were about to board a Saudi jet heading for the Sudan.
"There was confusion at passport clearance. The three were behaving suspiciously. When asked if they were traveling together, one said 'no' and one said 'yes'. Then they were arrested," a Saudi security source said.
According to Saudi sources, the Moroccan detainees are associated with the same Al-Qaida cell that carried out the series of suicide bombings in Riyadh last week in which 34 people were killed.
Saudi police established during questioning that the men were planning to hijack the plane and crash it into the headquarters of the kingdom's National Commercial Bank in Jeddah in a September 11-style attack, the source added.
One of the arrested men was on a Saudi list of wanted suspects.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Haaretz 05/21)