Security forces guarding entry points to the Kingdom have contributed in uncovering members of a terrorist cell, said advisers to the Ministry of Interior (MOI). The cell members had tried to dress as women in order to exploit the facilities used by Haj and Umrah pilgrims, reported Al-Watan Arabic language daily, Thursday. Maj. Gen. Mansoor Al-Turki, Spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said every year 7 million Muslims enter the Kingdom for Haj, Umrah and visits. With this large influx of pilgrims, Al-Turki said, it is easy for terrorists to slip into the country. Al-Turki said Haj and Umrah is every Muslim's right and the Kingdom is honored to serve Muslims. He said the Kingdom will never cause any inconvenience for those who come to perform Haj and Umrah and it will not resort to allowing some and preventing others from performing these rites. For this reason, the Kingdom allows the entry of every Muslim without exception. Al-Turki said those who have adopted such tactics have exploited the society in one of the most sensitive ways possible. They exploited the respect for women and how women are not questioned by security in order to slip past security surveillance. He said terrorism will continue to exploit the culture and traditions of the Kingdom, but at the same time the MOI will continue to use its own method in dealing with these terrorists. Meanwhile, Dr. Saud Al-Mussaibih, Adviser to the Minister of Interior, said the Kingdom is combating terrorism “on behalf of the world.” Al-Mussaibih said that the crime of terrorism is no longer a characteristic of a certain region. But instead it is as much a general and international crime in the age of globalization and the “universal village.” Now it is targeting the country that has been most stable and is serving the religion most. Al-Mussaibih called on intellectuals and Imams to develop educational efforts to combat terrorism and the negative messages it sends out about Islam. He added that the ministry announced earlier that anyone who has any information on the deviant group can call the number 990.
