Riyadh - A Saudi terrorist suspected of recruiting foreign militants for the al-Qaeda network in Iraq surrendered to Saudi authorities, the Saudi News Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.

Fahd Rikad Sameer Al-Ruweili, 31, who is also suspected of smuggling weapons to al-Qaeda in Iraq, ranks as number 61 out of a list of 85 most wanted terrorist suspects issued by the Saudi Interior Ministry earlier this month.

He had spent the past six years moving between Iraq to Syria, and first contacted his family from outside Egypt, which then mediated his handover to the authorities, SPA reported.

A spokesman of the Saudi Interior Ministry encouraged other extremists to follow al-Ruweili's example. The ministry's most wanted list of terrorist suspects includes 83 Saudis and two Yemenis.

In a statement, the ministry urged them "to return to their rational senses, end their transgressions and surrender themselves to the nearest Saudi representative, who will facilitate their return home to their families." (dpa)