Arab News
 
JEDDAH, Jun 19: Interior Minister Prince Naif has announced that security officials are close to uncovering the sources of terror funding in the Kingdom.

“We have found things (related to terror funding) ... that can be used as evidence against Al-Qaeda’s financial backers,” Prince Naif told Asharq Al-Awsat daily in an exclusive interview published yesterday.

“Without financial backing, terrorists could not have moved as they did,” Prince Naif said. He added that further investigations were needed in order to get a complete picture. He expressed hope that the findings of the investigation would soon be made public.

Prince Naif said the Kingdom was committed to confronting Al-Qaeda, regardless of the group’s change of tactics and methods.

He said the Iraqi government had promised to turn over the Saudis detained in Iraq. The Kingdom has received a number of the Saudi detainees there, but “there are still a large number who have not been turned over. We are still waiting for the Iraqis to deliver on their promises.”

The interior minister said that he did not think there were Saudis imprisoned in Iran but he did not rule out that there might be individuals affiliated with Al-Qaeda detained in Iranian jails. “Channels of communication are open between Saudi Arabia and Iran at all levels,” the prince said. He said he expected all security agreements between Riyadh and Tehran would be implemented.

Prince Naif said the ideological confrontation of terrorists remains below expectations and that it was essential to on-the-ground security operations. He pointed out that this was the responsibility of educational centers in universities, of scholars and thinkers.

He added that everyone must work hard to affirm that terrorists had strayed from the rightful path of Islam and that they had harmed Islam and Muslims. “Terrorism has offended Saudi citizens and it has absolutely nothing to do with Islam,” said Prince Naif.