Saudi Arabia arrests members of terror recruitment cell
Security source says group recruited more than a dozen young Saudis to fight
abroad
Nasser Al-Haqbani Asharq Al-Awsat Wednesday, 27 Aug, 2014
http://www.aawsat.net/2014/08/article55335916

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat - Saudi authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest
of eight people on suspicion of recruiting young people to join terrorist
groups in Syria and Iraq.

The eight Saudis were arrested in the city of Tameer, about 90 miles (150
kilometers) north of the capital Riyadh, following complaints from local
citizens who feared they were attempting to lure their sons into fighting
abroad.

In a statement, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said
the authorities were convinced the detainees had been engaged in activities
aimed at misguiding the city’s young people, and assured the public they
would be prosecuted.

“These men used to meet at rest houses and farms close to the town and were
frequently visited by youths during their meetings, arousing suspicion among
residents, who reported the matter to the Interior Ministry,” Turki said.

A security source, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity
because he was not permitted to brief the media, said the group had
successfully recruited 17 young Saudis from the city to fight in regional
hotspots.

He said: “There is information about the presence of communication between a
number of those arrested . . . with members of other terror groups abroad.”

As a part of a wider campaign to crack down on terror-related activities in
the Kingdom, a royal decree issued earlier this year outlawed Saudi citizens
from traveling abroad to join militant groups, and decreed that those found
guilty of membership of radical religious groups faced penalties of up to 30
years imprisonment.