Riyadh - KUNA
Saudi security authorities arrested a 62-member Al-Qaeda-linked "terrorist" group that was planning to attack government buildings and western interest, as well as assassinations, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday. Security authorities intercepted communications among "deviant" groups in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Syria, who have pledged "allegiance to a leader" with the objective of planning "criminal" actions against government buildings, foreign interests, security men, Muslim preachers and government officials, Ministry spokesman Major-General Mansour Al-Tukri was quoted by SPA news agency as saying. He said 62 people have been arrested including three expatriates - Palestinian, Yemeni and Pakistani. The rest are Saudi citizens. Al-Turki said the group was smuggling people and weapons through southern borders. During their arrest, he added, the security forces seized a laboratory used to manufacture advanced electronic devices used for bombing, jamming and eavesdropping operations, in addition to modifying cell phones and producing devices for counterfeiting official documents. A "terrorist" cell was also discovered. This cell collects funds online and the security forces seizing 900,000 Saudi riyals