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Saudi Security Kills Terrorist Mastermind of Prophet’s Mosque Attack | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Taie al-Saya’ari and Talal al-Sa’aeidi (Asharq Al-Awsat)


Riyadh – Saudi security authorities killed Taie al-Saya’ari, an expert in making explosive belts used by militants in suicide attacks who orchestrated the attacks on the Prophet’s Mosque last year, mosque of Saudi special forces in Asir, as well as the attack in the parking lots of Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital in Jeddah.

Acting on a tip-off, Sayari and his terrorist accomplice Talal al-Sa’aeidi were in a villa in al-Yasmeen district, security forces cordoned off the area and asked the extremists to surrender.

Ministry of Interior said that the two assailants had two machine guns, two explosive belts and a hand grenade, as well as chemical substances used in making explosives.

Interior Ministry’s security spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki announced that: “Saudi Security Forces has managed to identify the whereabouts of a dangerous wanted fugitive Taie bin Salem bin Yaslam al-Saya’ari, a Saudi national, at a house, in Northern Riyadh, hiding there with another accomplice named Talal bin Samran al-Sa’aeidi, another Saudi national.”

During the press conference, Turki said that the two terrorists turned the house into a terrorist web to make explosives, but due to information collected by security forces, it raided the web at the dawn of today Saturday.

“The forces asked the two terrorists to surrender, but they retaliated to the call by heavily firing and targeting security men, in order to flee, a fact that led security men to retaliate, resulting in killing both of them, while a security man was, slightly, injured, and his condition is stable,” the spokesperson explained.

After the operation was over, security forces seized two exploding belts and detonated them, one locally-made grenade and two basins containing chemical materials, suspected to be used in making the explosives.

“We are keen to fight terrorism in all its forms,” confirmed Turki.

Terrorists attempted to escape, but security forces were ready especially that a video was circulating on social media showing security men chasing two armed men after dawn prayer.

In the video, the militants refused to surrender and fired at the security men, who fired back and killed both of them.

According to information, Saya’ari was a scholarship student in New Zealand in the past where he majored in engineering. He had gone to Syria to join ISIS fighters. Later on, he made his way to Turkey, then to Sudan and then to Yemen before coming back to Saudi Arabia to plot and design explosive devices that were used in two terror attacks last year.

Officials had stopped the other man twice before because of his suspected involvement in killings in conflict areas, counter terrorism strategies expert at the Ministry of Interior Colonel Bassam Atieh told reporters.