Saudi Arabia: Interior Ministry Confirms Identities of Terrorists
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- The Saudi Interior Minister confirmed on Thursday the identities of five Islamic militants killed in the latest confrontation with security forces in the city of Dammam earlier this week.
A source at the Ministry indicated that DNA tests linked the bodies recovered from the rubble of a villa in the Mubarakiya district of the eastern city to some of the Kingdom’s most wanted terrorists. They are: Zayd bin Saad bin Zayd al Samari, Saleh bin Masour Mohsen al Faridi, aged 22, Sultan bin Saleh bin Husan al Haseri, aged 26, Nayef bin Farhan bin Jalal al Jahishi, Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad al Swaylimi, all Saudi nationals, whose names featured on the list of 36 most wanted terrorists.
The men are accused of taking part in terrorist operations and engaging in illegal activities such as murder, smuggling, forgery and spreading extremist ideologies.
Addressing their son through Asharq al Awsat, the family of Mohammad al Suwaylimi who died in the clashes in Dammam, pleaded with his surviving brother Ahmad, currently in Iraq, to return home to avoid a similar fate.
According to the family, Mohammad was enrolled at the Imam Mohammed bin Saud University where he studied Arabic, until early July 2005, and had successfully completed a number of computing courses.
His father’s health had deteriorated rapidly after receiving a letter from his youngest son, Ahmad, announcing his departure to Iraq. “Peace be upon you, greetings from your son Ahmad who has left for Iraq”, the message read.
According to information obtained by Asharq al Awsat, al Faridi was an expert in explosives who was taught by militants who had attended military training camps in Afghanistan.
Al Hasseri is said to have taken part in the kidnapping and killing of American expatriate workers, Paul Johnson, Robert Jacob, and Kenneth Scroggs, in June 2004.
Security officials believe al Samari is one of the most important terrorist killed in the latest confrontation as he had previously fought in Afghanistan and received military training.