The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Robert Mueller, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz for their support of the war against terrorism, especially following the incidents in Riyadh on 12 May.
Mueller described the accomplishments of the Saudi authorities since 12 May as “great”, not only in the arena of combating terrorism in the Kingdom but also worldwide. Mueller made these observations in an interview with correspondents of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Okaz newspaper and American press organisations. “In order to succeed, we need to cooperate together against terrorism, in the Kingdom, the United States, or anywhere in the world,” he said. “After the incidents of 12 may in Riyadh, the United States has sent experts to the Kingdom to provide technical assistance. The experts have visited the three sites of the explosions, and have found that their Saudi counterparts have done an exceptional job in their investigations.” Mueller expressed his and the U.S. experts’ immense appreciation of the assistance and cooperation of Saudi experts.
Mueller said that a significant number of the U.S. investigation team that came to Riyadh following 12 May 12, have already left the Kingdom to return to the United States. “However, a very small team of U.S. experts still remains in the Kingdom to offer assistance while the investigations are completed.”
He said that he held a meeting with the Interior Minister, Prince Naif Bin Abdul-Aziz; the Deputy Interior Minister, Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz; and the Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs, Prince Mohammad Bin Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, at which they discussed continuing cooperation to confront terrorism worldwide.
Mueller expressed his condolences to the Saudi people for those security officials who have lost their lives while performing their duties against terrorists. He also expressed his thanks to Saudi officials for their efforts since 12 May in the field of investigations, the collection of intelligence information, and the interrogation of those suspected of connections with Al-Qa’ida. In the process of investigations, U.S. experts are extending assistance to their Saudi counterparts, Mueller said. “The U.S. is expecting a continuous exchange of personnel and training, as well as the exchange of information and intelligence relating to terrorism.”
Mueller affirmed that the procedures followed by Saudi authorities following 12 May have greatly hindered the terrorists’ ability to carry out further attacks. In response to a question about security procedures that have been carried out by the Kingdom against terrorism in general, and after the Riyadh bombings in particular, Mueller said: “The Saudis view security as we do in the U.S.” In this context, he cited September 11 incidents in the U.S. and May 12 incidents in Riyadh, which require the two countries to enhance security procedures.
Asked about the affiliation of Al-Qa’ida to these explosions, Mueller said: “I do not want to go into details because investigations are still in progress. But it is obvious that these acts have hallmarks of Al-Qa’ida (operations). Our Saudi counterparts are making impressive progress in arresting those who have direct or indirect links to these incidents.”
Asked to comment on how Saudi security officials handled these incidents, to which the Kingdom is not accustomed, Mueller said: “It is a tragedy when terrorists attack...they kill women, children and innocent civilians. These attacks evoked worldwide condemnations.”
He noted that the Saudis had worked swiftly to arrest those who are responsible for such acts to avoid further attacks in the Kingdom, the United States, or any other country in the world. “Our Saudi counterparts have affirmed their support of international efforts to prevent a recurrence of terrorist attacks in the Kingdom, the United States, or any other place.”
In response to a question about the number of people arrested in connection with the attacks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he said: “I leave this matter to my Saudi counterparts, to speak for themselves on their success in this regard.” He said that those who were recently arrested in the Kingdom were not on the FBI’s most wanted list.
On whether the Casablanca blasts were linked to Al-Qa’ida, Mueller said that investigations are underway with the Moroccan security authorities, and that it is still early to draw conclusions on this matter.
Source: SPA
