WAR: Saudi King Fahd Releases 31 Militants, page 1

Thirty one Islamic militants who surrendered to Saudi authorities have been released by the order of King Fahd. The militants surrendered in June under an amnesty program that allowed people who had not been arrested for terrorism to turn themselves in and avoid the death penalty. In a release to the Saudi Press Agency, the government stated "The concerned authorities were assured that the deviants have already rectified their ideology and attitudes toward their nation and society,"

Guardian.co.uk
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi King Fahd has ordered the release of all 31 Islamic militants who surrendered to security authorities under a June amnesty, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.

The amnesty, which spared the lives of those who turned themselves in, was open to anyone who was wanted but had not been arrested for carrying out terrorist acts.

"The concerned authorities were assured that the deviants have already rectified their ideology and attitudes toward their nation and society," said the ministry's statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Relatives of victims or the individuals who suffered at the hands of the terrorists had a right to demand punishment, but the statement said "nobody has claimed anything against them."

During the month of the pardon, four wanted men surrendered in Saudi Arabia, including Khaled bin Ouda bin Mohammed al-Harby, a confidant of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden (news - web sites). None of them was considered a hardcore militant. Twenty-seven others who had left the country turned themselves in and were repatriated.

Scores of Saudis and foreigners have been killed or wounded in waves of attacks that began in May 2003.

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The House of Saud is ripe for a fall similar to that which took the Shah of Iran down in 1979. From an out of touch Royal family where corruption is the norm, to the staggering high unemployment that practically forces young men into the hands of militant schools that perpetuate a culture of violence. So far, the Saudis have been able to keep their grip on power by buying off any group that threatens its existence but for how long can that go on? People also tend to forget that the bulk of the 911 hijackers came from Saudi, not Iraq, Iran, or Afghanistan.

[edit on 12-11-2004 by Banshee]