JEDDAH: Alleged Al-Qaeda operative Khaled Hadal Al-Qahtani, who figured high on a list of 47 most-wanted terrorists, has surrendered to Saudi security authorities, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki announced on Wednesday. “Al-Qahtani contacted security agencies expressing his desire to return to the Kingdom and surrender himself to authorities,” Al-Turki told the Saudi Press Agency.
“Consequently, we made arrangements for his return and reunite him with his family.” Al-Qahtani would be dealt with according to the procedures followed in similar cases, Turki said, adding that his initiative to surrender would be taken into consideration while looking into his case.Al-Qahtani is believed to be the first Al-Qaeda operative to surrender after the death of Osama Bin Laden on Monday.
The Interior Ministry reiterated its call to all wanted Saudi militants to return to the Kingdom and surrender themselves to security authorities as quickly as possible. The ministry issued a new list of 47 most-wanted terrorists on Jan. 8. Interpol had issued a worldwide alert for militants with suspected links to Al-Qaeda who are wanted on terrorism charges.
The Saudi suspects posed “a potentially serious public threat at home and abroad due to their suspected involvement with Al-Qaeda,” Interpol said at the time, quoting an Interior Ministry statement. In a previous statement, Al-Turki said most of the 47 suspects, all Saudi nationals, left the country illegally.The suspects are aged between 18 and 40, he said. “We have information that 16 of them are in Yemen, 27 in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and four in Iraq,” he added.
The list of 47 was the fifth list of most-wanted terrorists issued by the ministry since Al-Qaeda militants carried out a series of attacks inside the Kingdom that began in 2003. The first list included 19, the second 26, the third 36 and the fourth 85.
Source: Arab news
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