Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia has acknowledged a high rate of recidivism in Al Qaida.

Officials said nearly 20 percent of Al Qaida inmates return to the movement after their release from Saudi prisons. They said many of the recidivists were sent to Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in neighboring Yemen.

“Most have been encouraged to return to true Islam, but there are those who are once again tempted by deviant forces,” an official said.

Officials said the Saudi Interior Ministry determined that 334 Al Qaida convicts returned to their movement after their release. They said about a third of them had undergone rehabilitation at a center meant to counter Al Qaida indoctrination.

“Among the Guantanamo Bay returnees, 120 have benefited from the center’s programs,” another official said.

The official said nearly 1,700 Al Qaida convicts were sent to the Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Counseling Center in Jedda. The center offered courses meant to counter Al Qaida indoctrination and provide an alternative lifestyle to Islamic insurgents.

“Books of certain authors have been banned because of their extremist content,” the second official told the Saudi daily Mecca.

  Hardcore: Saudis failed to rehabilitate hundreds of Al Qaida prisoners, WorldTribune.com