RIYADH // ISIL threatened to destroy prisons in Saudi Arabia holding extremists after Riyadh’s execution of 47 people including 43 convicted Al Qaeda militants.
The militant group, which has claimed responsibility for attacks in the kingdom and stepped up operations in neighbouring Yemen, singled out the Al Ha’ir and Tarfiya prisons where many Al Qaeda and ISIL supporters have been detained.
“ISIL always seeks to free prisoners, but we calculate that the ending of the issues of prisoners will not happen except with the eradication of the rule of tyrants, and then destroying their prisons and razing them to the ground,” the extremist group said in an online article posted on Tuesday.
An ISIL supporter killed himself in a car bomb at a checkpoint outside Ha’ir prison near Riyadh in July.
While ISIL and Al Qaeda are rivals who have condemned each other on ideological grounds, they are both united in enmity towards Saudi Arabia, which has declared them terrorist groups and locked up thousands of their supporters.
Riyadh's mass execution on Saturday included four Shiite Muslims, among them prominent cleric Nimr Al Nimr, a move that heightened sectarian tensions with Iran. But analysts say it was mostly meant as a message to militant Sunnis.
ISIL has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings and shootings in Saudi Arabia since November 2014 that have killed more than 50 people, most of them Shiites but also more than 15 members of the security forces.
Saudi security officials say the group’s supporters inside Saudi Arabia mainly act independently, depending on ISIL for only limited logistical help and advice. This makes them harder to detect, but also less capable of attacks on well protected targets.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Pensinula (AQAP) threatened in December to “shed the blood of the soldiers of Al Saud” if its members were executed.
AQAP is the Yemen-based wing of the global militant movement and was formed by local extremists and veterans of Al Qaeda’s earlier uprising in Saudi Arabia from 2003-2006, for participation in which most of those executed on Saturday were convicted.
* Reuters
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
RESULTS
2.15pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Shawall, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer)
2.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Anna Bella Aa, Fabrice Veron, Abdelkhir Adam
3.15pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
3.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner Taajer, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
4.15pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri
4.45pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner Maqaadeer, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, Penguin Randomhouse
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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The view from The National