Al-Qaeda will continue fight
2004-01-30 20:37
Dubai - Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network will continue fighting Saudi authorities, according to a statement issued in the group's name, one day after six security force members were killed in a raid in the Saudi capital.
The statement said the group will continue to strike out at opponents. The document was dated Thursday.
It was titled "The Voice of Jihad" and was provide by the Saudi Institute, a human rights group based in Washington DC.
There was no other immediate verification of the document's authenticity, but it resembled the style and appearance of previous statements. A line of small print at the top identified the sender as "The voice of the mujahedeen in the Arab Peninsula," a phrase previously used by al-Qaeda.
"The mujahedeen will continue on the path and force the infidels out of the Arabian peninsula ... and promise to take revenge on anyone who fights the faith and its people, or stands as a line of defence for the crusader forces."
On Thursday, Saudi security forces raided a house in eastern Riyadh after receiving a tip. The Interior Ministry initially said that five security members were killed, a civilian was slain and two other security personnel were wounded in the shootout.
The statement said a number of suspects were arrested, without providing details. The slain civilian was the father of a suspected terrorist, it said.
On Friday, the official Saudi Press Agency said six members of the Saudi security forces killed in shootout were laid to rest, along with the civilian.
Al-Qaeda said in its statement that six security personnel were killed, and two of its members were slightly wounded.
It said one of its members, Khaled al-Juwaiser al-Faraaj, was detained with his wife and son. Al-Faraaj's father was critically wounded in the shootout, it said. Other al-Qaeda members escaped, the statement said.
According to the Interior Ministry, police found two grenades, two automatic rifles and five pistols in the house.
The Saudi kingdom is also trying to discourage extremism, airing television footage of alleged militants repenting for their crimes.
- AP