RIYADH — A total of 116 terror-suspects were arrested between Aug. 4 and 28, Makkah daily reported on Wednesday quoting official figures of the Interior Ministry. According to the figures, the apprehended suspects consisted of 47 Saudis and 69 expatriates. The expatriates comprised 31 Syrians, 28 Yemenis, three Sudanese and one each from Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Algeria and Palestine in addition to one person of an unknown nationality. According to the Interior Ministry, there were 414 terror cases last year consisting of 341 technology-related issues, 62 rioting cases and 11 terrorist operations. On Aug. 19 a Saudi and a Syrian were caught armed with weapons and an explosive belt when they were about to attack a coffee shop in Tarout in the south and on the same day 15 Syrian suspects were arrested and two days later a Syrian suspect was nabbed. During the period between Aug. 21 and 28, as many as 13 Syrians were arrested on suspicion of being terrorists. On Monday, the Council of Ministers expressed its appreciation for the continuous efforts by security agencies to uncover criminal plots by deviant groups that aim to disturb national security, destabilize the country and arouse sedition among citizens. The Cabinet also lauded the success of security agencies in foiling a terror plot to target worshipers in Al-Mustafa Mosque in Al-Qatif and another plan to carry out a suicide operation in a restaurant in Tarout. Meanwhile, the Criminal Court in Riyadh is currently trying four out of six defendants accused of establishing a secret cell for Al-Qaeda terrorist organization to assassinate the Emir of Makkah and explode a residential complex in Riyadh. The defendants denied the charges against them but the attorney general provided enough evidence including their own confessions during the investigations. Earlier this year, the US added the Daesh (the so-called IS) group's branches in Libya, Yemen and Saudi Arabia to its global terrorism blacklist and placed six men on its sanctions list. The three Daesh branches were declared "specially designated global terrorists," a category that imposes sanctions and penalties on foreign persons who pose a serious risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten US nationals or national security, the State Department said. The Daesh affiliate in Saudi Arabia attacked mosques in the Kingdom and Kuwait, killing more than 50.
