RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia arrested 149 people from 19 cells linked to al Qaeda over the past 8 months and foiled attacks against government and security officials as well as journalists, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.

It said in a statement it had confiscated 2.24 million riyals ($597,237) from al Qaeda when it tried to collect money and spread its ideology during the Muslim pilgrimages of Hajj and Umra in Saudi Arabia.