Riyadh- The 29-year-old Oqab al-Otaibi’s joy in establishing many cells and training terrorists in Saudi Arabia to kill citizens and security men in different areas of the country was disturbed as he was uncovered and arrested by security forces during a successful security operation east Bisha.

One of the most wanted terrorists, suspected to be involved in the bombing of the Special Emergency Forces’ Mosque in Asir, has been arrested, the Interior Ministry announced on Sunday.

The ministry also revealed the identities of two other men killed in a foiled terror attack in the southwestern Bisha province on Friday.

Besides the Asir bombing in August last year, he was allegedly involved in shooting at worshippers in Al-Mustafa Mosque in Al-Dalwa, participating in terror activities organized by the Dhurma cell and murdering Brig. Kitab Majed Kitab Al-Hammadi Al-Otaibi.

During a joint press conference, held in Riyadh on Sunday, Brigadier Engineer Bassam Attiya of the Center of Strategic Studies of the Interior Ministry spoke, noting that in the region of Asir’s Bisha province, a terrorist act was aborted and included two cars carrying an amount of explosives at dawn last Friday during quality field operations that covered up to 40 kilometers over 24 hours.

This operation, he added, resulted in the death of Yasser Ali Yousef Al-Hoodi and Abdul Aziz Al-Shehri and the arrest of Oqab Al-Otaibi.

He pointed out that the late Yasser Ali Al-Hoodi, who was 21 years old, had experience in making explosive belts and explosives and planned for the assassination of a security officer in the Qassim region. He was also involved in the assassination of Brigadier Kitab Al-Hammadi.

Al-Houdi was a specialist in making IEDs and explosive belts, and was also wanted for his involvement in the death of Brig. Al-Otaibi.

He also noted that the dead Abdulaziz Al-Shehri, who was 35 years old, was active in terrorism since 1425 H. and has entered the terrorist circle since Al-Qaida’s terrorist acts that targeted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also was linked to the bombing of the special emergency forces in Asir to the assassination of Brigadier General Kitab Al Hammadi.

Security forces said they found arms, ammunition and cash in the possessions of the two suspects.

Brigadier Attiya indicated that the arrested Oqab Al-Otaibi holds an intermediate certificate, and is pursuing a takfirist thought.

He said that the criminal, arrested in 1429 H., participated in a terrorist plot targeting followers of the Shiite community in Madinah and planned to go to Iraq.

Oqab went out to the areas of conflict in Syria in 1434 H. through Kuwait and Turkey, where he joined ISIS and received preparation and training to carry out terrorist acts in the kingdom, and he was exported back to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from Syria to Sudan and then to Yemen and Jizan and settled in Khamis Mushait for a while, then went to Dhurma.

Brigadier Attiya said that the orders and instructions to the arrested Oqab were from ISIS agents in Syria to create a base for terrorist operations management in Dhurma; thus, Dhurma was a factory for the manufacture of explosive belts and explosives and training of field suicide bombers.