Saudi Arabia says foils IS bomb, foreign spying plots
Saudi Arabia has previously been hit by deadly bombing and shooting attacks by IS militants targeting security forces and members of the minority community
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it foiled an IS militant group plot to bomb its defence ministry headquarters and also said it had arrested several people suspected of carrying out espionage in the kingdom on behalf of foreign powers.
It was not immediately clear whether the two announcements, made separately by a security official to state news agency SPA and a security source speaking to Reuters, were related.
The would-be bombers were identified as two Yemeni nationals living under aliases in the kingdom who were detained along with two Saudi citizens also suspected of involvement in the attack planned for the capital Ri- yadh, the official from the Presidency of State Security added.
Saudi Arabia has previously been hit by deadly bombing and shooting attacks by IS militants targeting security forces and members of the minority com- munity. The assailants were training in the use of explosive belts, the security source added, while authorities said they seized grenades and firearms during the operation to foil the attack.
IS has for years criticised the leadership of Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, accusing it of deviating from their strict interpretation of the religion and advancing the interests of their U.S. enemies. In a separate news item, SPA quoted a security source saying authorities uncovered “intelligence activities for the benefit of foreign parties” by a group of people it did not name.
A Saudi security source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that the suspects were accused of “espionage activities and having contacts with external entities including the Muslim Brotherhood”, which Riyadh has classified as a terrorist organisation.
“The group is also accused of having contacts with and receiving financial and other forms of support from two other countries to harm the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and with the aim of destabilising the security and national unity in preparation to overthrow the Saudi regime in favour of the Muslim Brotherhood,” the source said. Citing an ongoing investigation, the source declined to name the countries or the members of the group.