An integrated security plan involving about 100,000 personnel has been put in place to ensure security of the pilgrims at the holy sites, Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, said here on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference at the end of his annual inspection tour of the holy sites here, Prince Naif said the integrated security force has been drawn from various sectors of the Interior Ministry and “they are well prepared to carry out their responsibilities.” Answering a question on the security situation in the Kingdom, Prince Naif said terror threats still exist, and he did not rule out the occurrence of any untoward incident. Prince Naif started his tour from the camp of the special emergency forces on the Makkah-Taif Road, after which he watched a field parade of security forces taking part in this year's Haj including Special Emergency Forces, the Public Security, the Civil Defense, the Passports Department, the Mujahideen Forces, the Traffic Department, the Security Patrols, and the Road Security. Other government agencies also took part in the parade including the Ministry of Health, the Red Crescent, and King Fahd Security College. Prince Naif was briefed on the security services provided to the pilgrims during this year's Haj, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. During the inspection tour, Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, chief of Saudi Intelligence, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee, Prince Muhammad Bin Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, Iyad Madani, Minister of Culture and Information, Fuad Al-Farsy, Minister of Haj, Hamad Al-Mane', Minister of Health, and Saed Al-Orabi Al-Harthi, advisor to the Minister of Interior, accompanied Prince Naif. At the press conference, Prince Naif said it was the judiciary to decide when to issue a verdict in the trial of those accused of terror activities. “We cannot specify the time. The matter is left to the judicial authorities. We have not specified any time period in this regard.” However, he said “we cannot detain or keep a person in custody so long as there was no material evidence against him,” he said. Asked about the role of Haj security forces in the “No permit, no Haj” campaign, Prince Naif said all measures have been taken at entry points to bar any one without a permit. Prince Naif said the main problem was to check people performing the Haj from Makkah itself. He said the expansion of Makkah has gone beyond Arafat from the southeast and reached Al-Sharayea from the northwest. Hence, the holy sites have come within Makkah and it was difficult to check the internal pilgrims from Makkah as they do not come through establishments. Prince Naif expressed the hope that people without valid Haj permits would have a sense of Islam and patriotism to follow what the state has decided and keep away from creating problems for the legal pilgrims. The checkpoints on the roads leading to Makkah, he said, are part of the routine precautionary measures to ensure the safety of all the pilgrims. Replying to a question, Prince Naif said people with deviant thoughts should respect the grand Islamic event like Haj. “We must be ready and not rule out the occurrence of anything that might take us unawares. We hope nothing that clouds the Haj should take place. We depend on Allah and our security capabilities and we can face any eventuality,” he said. Asked about how the Kingdom was dealing with the Palestinian pilgrims, Prince Naif said: “We hope that all the Palestinian pilgrims would be able to perform this obligation. The matter depends upon the Palestinian authorities. From our side, we welcome them at any time and even if they come on the 8th of Dhul Hijja we will receive them. The increase in thier quota is according to their request which was approved as per directives from King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.” Referring to a statement from a Hamas official against the Kingdom, Prince Naif said it was of no concern to the Kingdom whether it was Hamas or any other party. “We view the Palestinian pilgrims as Muslims irrespective of their political affiliations. We welcome the pilgrims. We also hope that no hurdles are put in their entry into the Kingdom,” he said. On increasing the number of pilgrims arriving this year, Prince Naif said: “There is nothing new. Setting the numbers of pilgrims for each country is done according to the decisions of Organization of the Islamic Conference.” With regard to traffic awareness and plan in Haj, Prince Naif pointed out that awareness has been continuing by traffic officials, affirming that the traffic plan is running as planned. Referring to the recent busting of a gang smuggling drugs in the Kingdom, Prince Naif said the operation was conducted in a very sophisticated way. “With intense efforts and determination, the Frontier Guards were able to find the drug cache and weapons buried in a burnt car,” he said. He said what was important was the arrest of 19 people including 18 Saudis. It is troubling, he said, that the smugglers are targeting the Kingdom to make an easy buck. It is equally troublesome that these people are finding ready buyers in the Kingdom, he said. __
