Riyadh - Saudi Arabian police have arrested five men on charges of being involved in preparing internet propaganda in support of al-Qaeda, the Arabic television station al-Arabiya has reported.

According to a statement released by Saudi Arabia's interior ministry, three Saudi nationals, a Syrian and an Egyptian were charged with "spreading misleading propaganda on the internet."

Saudi Arabia has battled with a home-grown insurgency by al-Qaeda

since 2003, and hundreds of Saudis are believed to have gone to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban following the US-led invasion there in 2001.

The detained men are believed to have been encouraging young Saudis to join conflicts overseas. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001, were Saudi nationals. (dpa)