Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia indicts 991 suspected militants

Riyadh, Oct. 21:Saudi Arabian authorities have indicted 991 suspected militants on charges that they participated in terrorist attacks carried out in the kingdom over the last five years.

News agency reports quoted the country''s Interior Minister, Prince Nayef, as saying on Tuesday that over the past few years, the kingdom has been "the target of an organized terrorist campaign linked to networks of strife and sedition overseas."

The Saudi Press Agency further quoted Prince Nayef as saying: "This campaign targeted the way of life, economy and principles of Saudi society and sought to create chaos,'''' he added. ''''It has direct links to a deviant group that adopts the (mind-set) of al-Qaida.''''

Trial of al-Qaeda terror suspects starts in Saudi Arabia

Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaRiyadh- The trial of Al-Qaeda militants, arrested for taking part in a series of terrorist attacks around Saudi Arabia, started on Monday in Riyadh, according to Saudi media reports.

"The General Court in Riyadh has set up a 10-member panel to look into the cases of 70 terrorists including Saudis and foreigners," the Saudi daily al-Riyadh newspaper reported.

Solana arrives in Riyadh on Middle East tour

Javier SolanaSaudi Arabia - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived Monday in Saudi Arabia, the second leg of a Middle East tour that will also take him to Qatar and Syria.

Solana is expected to meet Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal during the day.

Topics on Solana's agenda include relations between the EU and countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the latest developments of the Middle East peace process, and Tehran's nuclear file, an EU statement said.

Saudi beheaded for murder of an Indian man

Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaRiyadh, Oct. 16 : A Saudi was beheaded by the sword on Thursday for murdering an Indian man

Fatin bin Fallaj al-Shibani al-Otaybi was found guilty of stabbing the victim to death and stealing his belongings, the Interior Ministry here said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

This brings to 78 the number of people executed by the Saudi Arabian Government this year.

On Tuesday, Amnesty International charged that poor migrants were bearing the brunt of a surge in executions in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

Saudi women's internet group denounces ban by telecoms authority

Saudi women's internet group denounces ban by telecoms authority Riyadh - The editorial and advisory team of the "Voice of Saudi Women" website Wednesday said the Saudi Telecommunications Authority had blocked its site, saying the action did not fit the authority's role "as being responsible for providing knowledge and openness to the world."

"This action makes the authority just another dark force that stands against anyone who wants to move forward with our homeland," the group said in a statement published on a different website, Afaq, which means "horizon" in Arabic.

Taliban engaged in secret talks sponsored by Saudi Arabia, Britain

London, Sep 28 : The Taliban has been engaged in secret talks about ending the conflict in Afghanistan in a wide-ranging ‘peace process’ sponsored by Saudi Arabia and supported by Britain.

The unprecedented negotiations involve a senior former member of the hardline Islamist movement traveling between Kabul, the bases of the Taliban senior leadership in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and European capitals, The Guardian reported. 

Britain has provided logistic and diplomatic support for the talks despite official statements that negotiations can be held only with Taliban who are ready to renounce, or have renounced, violence. 

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