The Spokesman of Ministry of Interior said that the competent security authorities, and through follow-up of terrorist threats aimed at the security of the Kingdom, have launched a security operation consisting of stages that lasted for several months which led to the thwarting of terrorist operations tasked to a terrorist network consisting of three cluster cells linked to "Daesh (ISIS)" terrorist organization targeting citizens, scholars, security men and security, military and economic facilities in different locations. The cells of this network have been active in the preparation and processing of explosive belts and explosive devices to be used in their criminal operations, providing logistical support such as shelter to wanted people, and providing them with money, weapons and means of transport inside the Kingdom, monitoring the targeted sites, providing electronic and media support for the organization, and communicating with its leaders abroad in all their activities. Also it was revealed their relationship to other crimes that have occurred in the past. The number of the elements of that network reached (17 ) seventeen people, including a woman, who have been arrested, all of them are Saudi citizens except for three (3), one of them a Yemeni national and the other two are Egyptian and Palestinian nationals; they are the following:
1. Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Albanawi Asiri "Saudi national."
2. Osama Abdullah Sarsour "Palestinian national."
3. Ismail Saadi Albishri, "Saudi national."
4. Hamad Abdullah Mohammed Almosa, "Saudi national."
5. Khaled Mashaal Khaled Al-Otaibi, "Saudi national."
6. Kholoud Mohamed Mansour Alrukaibi "Saudi female national"
7. Khalid Ahmed Saad Almalik "Saudi national."
8. Sultan Bakhit Bandar Al-Otaibi, "Saudi national."
9. Abdul Rahman Fares Amer Almarri "Yemeni national"
10. Abdullah Abdul Rahman Twairish Altwairish "Saudi national."
11. Abdullah Saleh Salman Alshammari "Saudi national."
12. Omar Abdu Abdel-Hamid Alzoghbi "Egyptian national."
13. Mohammad Fahd Mohammed Al-Qahtani "Saudi national."
14. Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Alahmari "Saudi national."
15. Nasser Mohammed Mansour Alrukaibi "Saudi national."
16. Naif Nafi Hakim Albishri "Saudi national."
17. Nassar Abdullah Mohammed Almosa "Saudi national."
It has been achieved through the security operation the following results:
First: Thwarting of four terrorist operations reached advanced stages of preparation as follows:
1-Thwarting of an operation dated 13/05/1437 H that was targeting one of the employees of the Ministry of Defense in Riyadh after monitoring and processing of explosive device to be attached to his car.
2. Thwarting of an operation that was targeting training students in public security, by placing an explosive device at the gate to be detonated by remote control on Wednesday, 05/15/1437 AH, this operation has reached the final stages.
3. Thwarting of the delivery of two suicide vests on 16/05/1437 AH and the arrest of the involved persons, and a raid on a terrorist den in Quwaiya province and confiscating of explosive materials.
4. Thwarting of a suicide attack and the arrest of the bomber mentioned in paragraph No. 17 / Nassar Abdullah Mohammed Almosa (Saudi national) and in his possession an explosive belt and an explosive device, the suicide bomber was in the stages of preparing for the operation after monitoring religious sites in Ahsa province, and military sites belonging to the Ministry of the National Guard, and sent the coordinates of these sites to the organization abroad for selection, and assigned Friday 17/5/1437 AH as the date for implementation, as well as monitoring Imam Redha mosque that was targeted on 19/04/1437 AH.
Second, preliminary investigations revealed the involvement of the network in a number of the following crimes:
1. Harboring the perpetrators of the bombing of (Imam Redha mosque) in governorate of Al-Ahsa on 19/4/1437 AH, the detainee / Talha Hashim Mohammed Abdo (Egyptian national), and the suicide bomber / Abdulrahman Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri, (as announced on 22/04/1437 AH), providing them with two suicide vests and training them on how to wear these vests, securing automatic weapons for them, and transferring them to Al-Ahsa province to perform the operation.
2. Blowing up a car belonging to ( one personnel of ground forces) in the Aziziyah neighborhood of Riyadh on 29/04/1437 H by using an explosive device.
3. Monitoring a security checkpoint on the road to al-Ha'ir in Riyadh which was targeted at the night of Eid al-Fitr for the year 1436 AH by the terrorist suicider / Abdullah Fahad Abdullah Al-Rashid (as announced on 29/9/1436 H).
4. Participation in a failed attempt to blow up the oil pipeline north of "Labkhah and Hoitah" in Dawadmi, carried out by the detainee / Iqab AlOtaibi and Adel Almjmaj who was killed in Wadi al-Numan on 28/07/1437 AH.
5. Coordination with detainee / Osama Ahmed Al Rajhi "Yemeni national", the killer of retired Brigadier / Ahmad Alasiri (as announced on 05.06.1437) before committing his crime.
6. Monitoring scholars and security centers to be targeted by terrorist operations that did not exceed stages of preparation.
Third, the security operation resulted in the seizure of the following:
1.High explosive devices including sticky bombs, the total weight (19.620) Kilograms.
2.Explosive belts ready for detonation, weighing (7.520) Kg.
3.Metal pipes used as explosive devices.
4.Automatic weapons, silencers, and live ammunition.
5. Sum of money exceeds (600,000) Saudi Riyals.
The Ministry of Interior confirms that the enemies of the Kingdom are targeting its faith, security and people, and still seeking various ways and means to achieve their goals, but Allah Almighty with His grace foiled their attempts, and this country will continue to be immune against all plots.
