Thirteen Saudi nationals were recently extradited from Iraq. The extradition process was made possible through concerted efforts by competent authorities in the Kingdom, Okaz reported on Sunday. No more information was disclosed on the detainees who were kept in US prisons or on the circumstances of their arrest. The group of detainees arrived in the Kingdom on board an Iraqi aircraft. Extradition of the first batch of detainees came on the heels of a meeting between Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, and the US Ambassador in Baghdad in April. Many of the detainees kept at US and Iraqi prisons claim to carry the Saudi nationality. Two or three of the detainees were found to be non-Saudis, but citizens of two different Arab countries. Security authorities in the Kingdom checked the identities of the returning detainees in different ways and investigate the manner in which they entered Saudi territories and their links to Al-Qaeda and other similar networks. Meanwhile, Al-Watan reported that final arrangements are currently under way between Saudi authorities and US forces to extradite the fourth and last batch of Saudi detainees in Iraq. It is presumed that extradition of this batch shall be carried out through the Iraqi government in the context of an agreement between the Arab ministers of interior on combating terrorism as the two countries are not bound by a bilateral agreement. According to US sources in Iraq, 20 Saudi detainees are expected to be released. The sources added that all 20 Saudi detainees are currently kept in the US Crooper detention facility at Baghdad Airport. __
