Makkah terror plot roundly condemned

JEDDAH: Arab and Muslim leaders have denounced a terror plot targeting the Grand Mosque in Makkah, which Saudi security forces thwarted on Friday.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s emir, said terrorist schemes contradict teachings of Islam and all religious and human values.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Emirati minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, said: “This heinous crime exposes the extent of terrorism and the savagery of those terrorist groups, and no one in their right mind can justify it.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia in confronting terrorism and extremism.

Egypt, Bahrain and Iraq also condemned the failed terrorist attempt to target Islam’s holiest site.

“These attempts demonstrate the extent of the intellectual and ideological deviation of the terror-based gangs,” said Egypt’s Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry said attempts to target the Grand Mosque confirm that terror groups have crossed red lines.

Sudan, Jordan, Tunisia and Lebanon also joined the chorus of condemnation.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri commended the swift action of Saudi security forces.

Sheikh Mohammed Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Muslim World League (MWL) secretary-general, said terrorism is an evil act devoid of any values.

The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) voiced the organization’s full support for the Kingdom in fighting terrorism.