Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- Major General Mansur al-Turki, the Interior Ministry’s official security spokesman, has asserted to “Asharq al-Awsat” that (Saudi citizen) Abdullah Salih al-Harbi who was handed over by the Iraqi Border Guards to the Saudi authorities on Tuesday, suffers from a mental illness and denied that he is one of the persons wanted by the Saudi security services.

He pointed out that one of Abdullah’s brothers had reported to the police that he went missing on Saturday 26 Muharram, corresponding to 25 February. Al-Turki was commenting on the government-owned Iraqi television (Al-Iraqiyah) report that the Iraqi Border Guards arrested a “terrorist” on Tuesday, 28 February, who was believed to be wanted by the Saudi security services. The channel said: The Iraqi Border Guards arrested Saudi terrorist Abdullah Salih al-Harbi who is believed to be one of the persons wanted by the Saudi security forces. The channel did not give any more details about the arrest.

The Saudi security authorities had disclosed earlier that several Saudis had infiltrated across the Saudi-Iraqi border to fight in Iraq’s territories. Some statistics said the number of Saudis who were in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 reached 2,500 during random and disorganized infiltration.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq have a 275 km border all along Al-Samawah Governorate south of Baghdad.

The Saudi Interior Ministry announced the names of 21 persons among the list of the 36 wanted who were involved in the internal incidents and whom the information indicates they are outside the country.