Saudi Arabia has arrested 149 suspected al Qa'eda-linked militants in 19 separate cells planning attacks on state officials, foreigners and journalists, the interior ministry said on Friday.
The arrests, which took place over the past eight months, involved both Saudi and foreign nationals with links to al Qa'eda operations mainly in Yemen, but also in Afghanistan and Somalia, interior ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki told reporters.
"The largest majority of them (the cells) were created by AQAP," Turki said, referring to al Qa'eda on the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based group led by both Yemenis and Saudis.
"Some had links to al Qa'eda in Afghanistan (and) some actually had links to Al-Qaeda in Somalia," he added.
Turki gave few details about the cells' activities. "Most of the plots were against individuals," he said -- mainly Saudi security and political officials, journalists and resident "non-Muslim" foreigners, he said.
One cell was apparently training people in the use of electronic bombs, possibly car bombs, while another was raising money for al Qa'eda abroad, he said.
"This is a continuous effort by al Qa'eda. Al Qa'eda will never give up," Turki said.
Of the 149, 25 were foreigners identified only as being Arab, African and Asian in origin.
One woman, a Saudi, was also arrested for posting al Qa'eda materials on the Internet under multiple pseudonyms, Turki said.
Most of the people in the 19 cells had links to AQAP, which has increasingly been behind international bombing attempts including the parcel bombs intercepted en route to the United States in October.
"They sent some (people) here; in most cases AQAP recruited them from inside Saudi Arabia," he said.
Troves of documents and weapons that would have been used in attacks were also recovered, Turki said, adding that the kingdom has contacted Interpol for the arrest of others linked to the plans.
Authorities also recovered the sum of 2.24 million riyals (about 600,000 dollars) from the cells that was to be used to support al Qa'eda both inside and outside Saudi Arabia.
On October 5, al Qa'eda militants threatened fresh attacks on Saudi royal family members in a video message posted on the Internet to mark a 2009 failed bombing which had targeted the interior minister.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
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Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27
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Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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- Option 3: 30% across five years
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
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Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
