In Defense of the Nation: Terror and Reform in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
The May 12, 2003 attacks in Riyadh on Western housing compounds and the ensuing summer-long series of anti-terrorist operations mounted by the Saudis against Al Qaeda leave no doubt about the intent of the Saudi government to seriously address its terrorist problem. The May 12 attacks constituted a wake-up call to the House of Saud, just as the September 11th attacks awakened the United States to the global nature of threat posed by Al Qaeda. The extent of the Al Qaeda network in the Kingdom, which apparently exists throughout the country from Riyadh to Medina to Qasim and the Eastern Provinces, serves as a reminder that Al Qaeda continues to pursue a core mission as articulated by Osama bin Laden: to destabilize the Kingdom and remove the House of Saud from power. If Iraq now constitutes the "central front" in the global war on terror, then the Kingdom itself must be regarded as one of the related and important geographic theaters in that war. The seizures of material by Saudi authorities have been truly staggering: underground storage facilities containing bags filled with over 20 tons of chemicals used for explosives; 72 kilograms of the explosive material RDX along with fuses and igniters; caches of small arms, machine guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers; night-vision goggles, communication devices and lap top computers; cash as well as motorbikes and cars ready for use in executing terrorist attacks. Hardly a week goes by in the Kingdom without a new report of a foiled operation and an exchange of gunfire. Since May 2003, Saudi Arabia has arrested more than 140 individuals with suspected ties to terrorism and large numbers of Saudi policemen have been killed in anti-terrorist operations. This is in addition to more than 300 arrests of terrorist suspects since September 11, 2001. The now-frequent press reports of government roadblocks and shootouts throughout the Kingdom bespeak a dramatically altered internal security environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 03, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA524602
Entities
People
- James A. Russell
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School