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View Full Version : Saudia Hijacking Foiled.


mutt
21st May 2003, 22:35
Taken from CNN.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- Saudi security sources told CNN on Thursday that they have arrested three al Qaeda members, who were planning to hijack a passenger plane and crash it into a building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The al Qaeda suspects were arrested Monday evening in the Jeddah airport before they boarded a Saudia flight to Sudan, sources said. Saudia is the country's national airline carrier.

The men had knives and last testaments, or wills, on them when they were arrested, the sources said.



Mutt.

newswatcher
21st May 2003, 23:47
Yes, I wouldn't want to be working in the NCB head office building!

BRISTOLRE
22nd May 2003, 00:16
This news also on BBC thread, they were arrested on Monday night suspicious behaviour in the airport!

Good job they were caught / stopped, well done so.

Around 6 UK army armoured cars also spotted on M25 earlier on between J12 and J13 twds LHR!

Notso Fantastic
22nd May 2003, 01:41
I wouldn't want to be their necks! Good public beheading- that's what we need, televised, tearful families etc. Stop this glamorous aura self sacrifice (and mass murder) seems to have gotten itself recently.

El Grifo
22nd May 2003, 02:16
With you on that one Notso !!!!

Lucifer
22nd May 2003, 02:17
Great. Execution won't foster more hardened attitudes and terrorism now will it? Martydom is held even higher than suicide.

A120
22nd May 2003, 02:30
Around 6 UK army armoured cars also spotted on M25 earlier on between J12 and J13 twds LHR!


No plans to bring the Army back, although security remains at a high level.

Message remains, “Be Alert, Not Alarmed”



Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321
if you have any information about suspicious people or activities that could be linked to terrorism - ring now

Let the police decide if the information you have is valuable or not, you may have information which could be a crucial piece of an investigative jigsaw

Kwasi_Mensa
22nd May 2003, 05:58
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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.

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(Haaretz 05/21)