Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- A few days into his reign, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, pardoned five Libyan nationals arrested for an attempt on his life foiled last year. His Royal Highness also ordered the release of five political activists jailed for taking part in seditious activities.

The release of the five Libyan suspects comes as King Abdullah tries to mend ties with Tripoli . Towards the end of 2003, eight Saudis and five Libyans were jailed for their involvement in an assassination attempt against then Crown Prince Abdullah. The Libyan suspects were reportedly caught delivering more than a million US dollars in cash to Saudi accomplices hired to carry out the assassination. It is believed the plan included targeting the Palace of then Crown Prince Abdullah in Mecca with grenades and other explosives. In December 2004, as relations deteriorated between the Kingdom and Libya , Riyadh recalled its ambassador from Tripoli and expelled Libya ’s envoy.

Iyad Madani, Saudi Minister of Culture and Information was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency as saying the pardons were part of the Kingdom’s efforts to strengthen Arab unity. “I hope this will be considered a constructive step toward unifying Arab ranks”, he said.

Also on Monday, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who has long supported greater democracy in the Kingdom, ordered the release of five political campaigners, according to a statement from Minister of Interior, Prince Nayef, read out on Saudi television.

Prince Nayef said, “The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has ordered the following prisoners to be pardoned and freed. They are: Dr. Matruk al Falih, Ali al Dumaini, Abdullah al Hamid, and Said bin Zueir, who are serving jail sentences, in addition to Abdul Rahman al Lahim who was still being tried”.

News of the release of the five men was welcomed by human rights campaigners in the Saudi Arabia . “We applaud the bold move by King Abdullah and hope this is the first step towards giving all prisoners in the Kingdom’s jails a fair and transparent trial and full access to legal advice,” said Ibrahim al Mugaiteeb, head of the independent Saudi organization, Human Rights First.