In a briefing on Nov. 26, Al Turki said the captured Al Qaida network,
an operation conducted with Interpol, was also linked to Islamic insurgents
in Somalia. He said most of the agents arrested since March 2010 — found
with nearly $600,000 in cash — were Saudis.
"One cell had links to Somalia, but the large majority had ties to
Yemen," Al Turki said. "Most cells were very small, were operating
independently and still in the stages of being established."
Al Turki said the detainees comprised 19 Al Qaida cells. He said the
cells, trained to assemble car bombs as well as recruit on the Internet, had
targeted Saudi officials, journalists and government offices.
"Investigations are continuing," Al Turki said.
The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya satellite channel said the Al Qaida network
had also planned to attack Saudi energy installations. Al Arabiya said the
network was bolstered by recruits from Africa and South Asia.
Officials said Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which operates in both
Saudi Arabia and Yemen, has sought to expand recruitment in the Saudi
kingdom. They said AQAP planned to train operatives abroad, particularly in
Somalia and Yemen, and return them for attacks in Saudi Arabia.
"The organization is trying to recruit people inside the kingdom," Al
Turki said. "There are cells that help them travel abroad to train and then
return."